1
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a well-meaning but inept assistant who can't seem to keep appointments straight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an inept comparison between nursing-home residents and day-care children that many found offensive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
an inept effort to become friends with their future son-in-law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she offers one inept suggestion after another for saving the parish church
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inept
The inept response to the protests and the harassment of Jews from the former president of Columbia, Minouche Shafik, cost her her job after barely a year in office.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025
Or that failed for being inept or obsolete?
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Lawlor played the inept Leonard Marsh, who works with Leachman’s Phyllis Lindstrom in the San Francisco City Supervisor’s office, on the second and last season (1976-77) of Phyllis, one of the many Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoffs.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2025
The way the club is run by Sullivan is inept in this day and age, a lot money is spent on the team but haphazardly with a poor imbalanced squad.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025
Or that failed for being inept or obsolete?
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Lawlor played the inept Leonard Marsh, who works with Leachman’s Phyllis Lindstrom in the San Francisco City Supervisor’s office, on the second and last season (1976-77) of Phyllis, one of the many Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoffs.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2025
The way the club is run by Sullivan is inept in this day and age, a lot money is spent on the team but haphazardly with a poor imbalanced squad.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inept
Adjective
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But Elmer is equally incompetent there, too, robbing the wrong train, failing at safecracking, miscalculating explosives and getting ignobly killed by lawmen in an Oklahoma shootout in 1911.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2025
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Image In response to the letter becoming public, the Transportation Department made the remarkable decision to remove those lawyers from the case and released a statement suggesting that the team was either incompetent or motivated by politics.—
Stefanos Chen,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That’s as the league continues its investigation of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists as part of an investigation by The Baltimore Banner.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Herro was asked this as well: Is the type of the comment that Garland made inappropriate for a player to say about another player?—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
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That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Making stupid internet fodder has never been easier than now, with the prevalence of AI image generators making everything from deepfakes to memes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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Much like the stupid prions wreaking havoc in his brain.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Its troubles began in 2022 after regulators declared the company unfit to operate its casinos following media reports of money laundering at its properties.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The injunction request stated the premises were unfit for occupancy and owners did not have a valid city business license.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But regulations that apply to traditional markets are unsuitable for digital native assets like crypto and digital assets.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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The vacant land, which was largely unsuitable for agriculture, became an albatross over the next few decades.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law seems none too pleased with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, shading the 24-year-old for her behavior during the Super Bowl winner’s awkward new CBS interview as former Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski defended Hudson.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
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The situation was made more awkward by the lack of support from anyone else at the table.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The idea of the Nuggets claiming three more games in this series with Michael Porter Jr. scoring three points — on Denver’s first basket, no less — is foolish.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2025
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The first three days of the season took care of such foolish rookie thoughts and proved to be a humbling, but learning, experience.—
Thomas Weddle,
Outdoor Life,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inept. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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