incompetently

adverb

as in poorly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incompetently Clinicians should be working to support us, not fumbling incompetently or making paternalistic determinations. — Meg Leduc, STAT, 23 Sep. 2026 As was mentioned in your editorial, the Broward school district has been incompetently managed, wasteful and corrupt for years. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026 The information the city provided to win passage of a ballot measure in 2022 allowing this fee was incompetently inaccurate. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetently
  1. poorly
  2. ineptly
  3. inefficiently
Adverb
  • Owens not only lacked an undergraduate degree but did poorly in school, where she was described as a hopeless case.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The researchers are now incorporating F³ into autonomous drones designed to navigate cluttered and poorly lit environments.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of poorly
Adverb
  • The collapse of the Constitution’s balance of powers between three branches of government got us into an unneeded war conducted ineptly.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Dancing the Poznan really ineptly, mind you, but dancing nonetheless.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of ineptly
Adverb
  • In our own polling of 200 chief executives at the Yale CEO Summit in June 2025, 40% said AI hype has led to overinvestment, and more than 40% admitted that AI investments have been allocated inefficiently.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • For instance, Chancellor Kamar Samuels admitted that more than 200 schools now have fewer than 200 students each, inefficiently driving up per pupil costs past $50,000 a child — money that could be used better elsewhere in the system.
    — Ciara Jackson, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of inefficiently

Browse Nearby Words

incompetent
incompetently
incompetents
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Cite this Entry

“Incompetently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetently. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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