1
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a well-meaning but inept assistant who can't seem to keep appointments straight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an inept comparison between nursing-home residents and day-care children that many found offensive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
an inept effort to become friends with their future son-in-law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she offers one inept suggestion after another for saving the parish church
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 inept
Fueled by the radical groupthink Far Left faculty, inept University leadership, donations by foreign adversaries, and pro-Hamas terrorists, Harvard has fully embraced and tolerated the raging antisemitism threatening the lives and physical safety of Jewish students on campus.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Magazine Dreams certainly isn’t inept, and Bynum, who wrote as well as directed it, summons a devastatingly spare atmosphere that’s broken up with some arrestingly dreamlike compositions when Killian arrives at a show or competition.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
While a passer-by might see no progress on the site and assume the builders are inept or lazy, they've simply been overpowered.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025
The end result is a party that looks totally inept and hopelessly out of touch.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Magazine Dreams certainly isn’t inept, and Bynum, who wrote as well as directed it, summons a devastatingly spare atmosphere that’s broken up with some arrestingly dreamlike compositions when Killian arrives at a show or competition.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
While a passer-by might see no progress on the site and assume the builders are inept or lazy, they've simply been overpowered.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025
The end result is a party that looks totally inept and hopelessly out of touch.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inept
Adjective
-
But Elmer is equally incompetent there, too, robbing the wrong train, failing at safecracking, miscalculating explosives and getting ignobly killed by lawmen in an Oklahoma shootout in 1911.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2025
-
However, problematic ones try to control every outcome, usually out of fear of failure or appearing incompetent.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s as the league continues its investigation of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists as part of an investigation by The Baltimore Banner.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Herro was asked this as well: Is the type of the comment that Garland made inappropriate for a player to say about another player?—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For those things that are bigger, or subject to rough forces like clumsy human hands, through-hole soldering is still required, with leads poked through a connective hole and solder applied to connect and join them securely.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The rubber sole is also important for clumsy gals like myself.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Making stupid internet fodder has never been easier than now, with the prevalence of AI image generators making everything from deepfakes to memes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Much like the stupid prions wreaking havoc in his brain.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Its troubles began in 2022 after regulators declared the company unfit to operate its casinos following media reports of money laundering at its properties.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The injunction request stated the premises were unfit for occupancy and owners did not have a valid city business license.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But regulations that apply to traditional markets are unsuitable for digital native assets like crypto and digital assets.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
The vacant land, which was largely unsuitable for agriculture, became an albatross over the next few decades.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law seems none too pleased with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, shading the 24-year-old for her behavior during the Super Bowl winner’s awkward new CBS interview as former Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski defended Hudson.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
-
The situation was made more awkward by the lack of support from anyone else at the table.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But the Liberals are an electoral machine—something of a rarity on the center-left—that would be foolish to bet against.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
-
His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inept. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share