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
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Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
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Pop culture has abetted this disheartening pattern, consistently depicting fathers as incompetent ...—
Gregory M. Collins,
National Review,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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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
-
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
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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This fact underscores Einstein’s wisdom that average individuals are incapable of understanding why great leaders always choose freedom of honesty over the prison of others’ opinions.—
Dr. Adil Dalal,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskillful. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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