1
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
an unskilled handling of the facial features in the portrait explains why it is attributed to "school of Velázquez" and not to the master himself
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
hired unskilled workers because they would work for lower wages
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unskilled
When an unskilled injector offers up undereye filler, the more serious side effects can even include blindness or stroke.
—
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Aug. 2025
The increase in family members acting as unskilled caregivers could become more pronounced in the coming years not only because of budget cuts, but also due to the Trump administration’s immigration actions, according to experts.
—Marina E. Franco, NBC news, 31 July 2025
From 1840 to 1900, the real wages of skilled and unskilled builder craftsmen rose by 113 percent and 124 percent, respectively.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
In contrast, the EB-3 category is designed for skilled workers with at least two years of experience, professionals with a bachelor's degree, and other workers in unskilled positions requiring less than two years of training.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unskilled
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Aug. 2025
The increase in family members acting as unskilled caregivers could become more pronounced in the coming years not only because of budget cuts, but also due to the Trump administration’s immigration actions, according to experts.
—Marina E. Franco, NBC news, 31 July 2025
From 1840 to 1900, the real wages of skilled and unskilled builder craftsmen rose by 113 percent and 124 percent, respectively.
—John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
In contrast, the EB-3 category is designed for skilled workers with at least two years of experience, professionals with a bachelor's degree, and other workers in unskilled positions requiring less than two years of training.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unskilled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unskilled
Adjective
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The inexperienced head coach has sensibly made only minor tweaks since taking over, sticking with the compact, direct football that has served Brentford so well.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Scaloni, whose team finished in first place in South American World Cup qualifying, was using Friday’s match, and the Tuesday match against Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium, to integrate some of the younger and inexperienced players on the roster.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Devil in Disguise also presents the Chicago Police Department as incompetent in its mission to protect and serve.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
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All of the charges were ultimately discharged after she was found incompetent for court proceedings by a doctor.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Investors cheered the improbable rise of the amateur heavy metal drummer and hard-line conservative, who’s expected to increase defense spending, cut taxes, and revive Japan’s nuclear power industry.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Daniel Kinahan, a keen amateur boxer, has always been in thrall to prizefighters.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But rivals like former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and former California State Controller Betty Yee are already framing her as unfit for office.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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Arrived unfit and has recently been injured.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
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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
Adjective
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Movies like Eddington and The Mastermind also render their white male protagonists as ill-prepared and ineffectual numbskulls incapable of confronting their era’s racial and social politics.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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Domestic treble winners, WSL champions six years running, yet ineffably incapable of finding triumph in Europe.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unskilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskilled. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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