1
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
an unskillful editor can be worse than none at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
some painfully unskillful playing by the band's guitarist
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unskillful
It was intended to be a mockery of the way White people danced, though plantation owners often interpreted slaves' movements as unskillful attempts to be like them.
—
Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 July 2020
As is often the case, Louie was unlucky — and also unskillful.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2017
Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 July 2020
As is often the case, Louie was unlucky — and also unskillful.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unskillful
Adjective
-
Some seemed to be downright incompetent, Marquez told the jury.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
-
The defense has argued that others possibly killed O’Keefe inside that home and that the police were either too incompetent or corrupt to investigate that angle.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
These board members have betrayed the public trust and shown themselves to be unfit to govern the district.—
Jay Steiger,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2025
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Brushing up on English has taken on new urgency for future and current truck drivers after President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying truckers who don’t read and speak the language proficiently would be considered unfit for service.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
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
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
Two thirds of them were unskilled working-class men.—
Christopher R. Browning,
The New York Review of Books,
27 Mar. 2025
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That doesn't mean that those employees were unskilled.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
For the eight minutes the Mets batted in the bottom of the eighth, Garrett was a shark incapable of pausing even for a second.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
-
There have been countless occasions when he was asked to get another batter, another few outs, when his weary body was simply incapable of doing so.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskillful. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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