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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
One of the most fraught issues around suicide clusters is unskillful media coverage, which studies suggest can spur copycats.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
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
One of the most fraught issues around suicide clusters is unskillful media coverage, which studies suggest can spur copycats.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018
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
-
And then fraud, which, looking back, was inevitable given our shattered and incompetent leadership.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The fourth priest died after being deemed incompetent to stand trial in 2022.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Pidgeon came in with a brunette bob, which, given the length of her natural hair, could be detected if left to inexperienced stylists.—
Kirbie Johnson,
Allure,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The roster is young and inexperienced — Sands is the only returning starter from last season — and the Tommies dealt with the predictable growing pains.—
Dean Spiros,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If venue personnel deem any person to be a threat, or otherwise unfit, in their sole discretion, he or she will not be permitted access and shall forfeit the prize.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In October, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda found that Conner was mentally unfit to testify in person at trial and allowed the recorded testimony, even though defense attorneys will not be able to cross-examine him in front of the jury.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, waiting until just before the candidate filing deadline is more amateur than a Little League game.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Friends from the amateur mixed martial arts community, including those at the gym where Munoz-Pederson had spent six evenings a week for the last six years, knew him as a lovable and helpful teammate, as well as a vigorous fighter few wanted to face across the ring.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
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
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the women faced with that pool of socially unskilled men have largely been overlooked.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Complex negotiations in large organizations often fail—not because the negotiators are inexperienced or unskilled but because they’re constrained by two structural challenges, agency and alignment, and by the ways organizations manage those challenges.—
Danny Ertel,
Harvard Business Review,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Defense attorneys for Copeland and Ucman told jurors their clients came from troubled upbringings that included abuse and bouts of homelessness, coupled with mental health issues that left them largely incapable of caring for themselves or a child.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
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At that point, MRC was operating under the belief that Spacey would be incapable of appearing for the sixth season and announced his suspension the next day.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskillful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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