UNFIT Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

unfit

adjective

ˌən-ˈfit

Definition of unfit

as in unfitted

lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job just because I don't have actual work experience doesn't mean I'm unfit for the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in unsuitable

not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation those flimsy shoes are unfit for the hike we're about to take

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unfit In the meantime, a judge repeatedly deemed James mentally unfit for criminal proceedings. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026 Besides rest, a driver should completely give over the keys if they are inebriated or otherwise unfit to drive. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026 In court records filed this summer, each parent painted the other as abusive and unfit to care for the needs of their children. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 In the 1960s, military leaders discovered that nearly one-third of young men were unfit for service because of conditions rooted in childhood poverty, poor health care, and limited educational opportunities. — Stanley McChrystal, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfit

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfit

Adjective

Here, Rodel shares how to make the unfitted kitchen trend your own, one statement-worthy piece at a time.

— Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025
The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.

— Daniel Akst, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022

Definition of unfitted

Adjective

The Bears have said previously that they are focused on pursuing a $2 billion stadium across the state line in Hammond or in suburban Arlington Heights, and that the Rate Field site was unsuitable, citing in part its limited size.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
The combination of leverage, daily resets, volatility, financing costs and higher expense ratios can make these products unsuitable as long-term buy-and-hold investments.

— Daniel Kern, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adjective

In August 2022, Garza was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered to be jailed until a bed in a state mental health treatment facility was available.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
In my opinion, the president and his incompetent, corrupt acolytes have debased the office and dragged the good name of America through the mud.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of incompetent

Adjective

When the employee told Gonzalez the questions were inappropriate, Gonzalez took a drink of beer and intentionally spat it onto the worker's arm.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
According to the lawsuit, this arrangement is inappropriate because immigration detention is civil, not criminal.

— Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of inappropriate

Adjective

The talent evaluator who once worked the transfer portal like a Wall Street wizard suddenly seemed incapable of distinguishing a difference-maker from a benchwarmer.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
But both sides have proved incapable of making the concessions necessary to strike a deal.

— ALLISON MINOR, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of incapable

Adjective

Cambridge Analytica, which was a political consulting firm, allegedly accessed the information of 87 million Facebook users in improper fashion.

— Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
He was signed to the practice squad last week, creating a huge uproar because of past allegations of improper behavior by Tucker from 16 massage therapists in Baltimore-area spas.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of improper

Adjective

About a third of France’s high schools were closed or unable to operate, some because of student blockades and others because teachers were on strike.

— Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña resigned from office this Thursday after Ueno Bank was shut down in the middle of the night due to a solvency crisis, leaving millions of customers unable to access their money and triggering a scandal.

— Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of unable

Adjective

Delay hydrangea pruning because cutting at the wrong time can eliminate next season’s blooms.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
On Wednesday, as the indexes were soaring, Jim Cramer had been warning that Wall Street's first reaction to the midterm Democratic wave might be wrong.

— Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of wrong

Browse Nearby Words

unfinished

unfit

unfitness

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Style

“Unfit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfit. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of unfit

adjective

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