1
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an inapt but well-meaning attempt to inject some humor into the proceedings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a recruit who was utterly inapt for most soldierly duties, so he spent most of his time playing in the army band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inapt
The precedent is inapt, not least because the media landscape then was different with far fewer news sources.
—
The Wall Street Journal, Twin Cities, 25 July 2025
Beyond the application of arguably inapt legal and regulatory standards, technical and operational challenges may likewise hinder deAI adoption.
—Charlyn Ho, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
The result invites obvious yet not inapt comparisons to the work of Terrence Malick, but Bentley’s film—for all its crystalline imagery, its vision of Grainier’s home as a fallen Eden, and its air of metaphysical wonderment—unfolds in a more dramatically direct, compacted register.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
The visual flair peaks in the first episode, along with the series’ shallow, if not necessarily inapt, insight into life in this particular time and place.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
The Wall Street Journal, Twin Cities, 25 July 2025
Beyond the application of arguably inapt legal and regulatory standards, technical and operational challenges may likewise hinder deAI adoption.
—Charlyn Ho, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
The result invites obvious yet not inapt comparisons to the work of Terrence Malick, but Bentley’s film—for all its crystalline imagery, its vision of Grainier’s home as a fallen Eden, and its air of metaphysical wonderment—unfolds in a more dramatically direct, compacted register.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
The visual flair peaks in the first episode, along with the series’ shallow, if not necessarily inapt, insight into life in this particular time and place.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inapt
Adjective
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The dashboard may identify patients who may have started on a new medication that interacts with a DOAC, patients who have had a change in their kidney function or who have been prescribed an inappropriate dose.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Other emails from the latest crop of the Epstein files include other inappropriate comments about Beatrice and Eugenie.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The resulting investigation by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services deemed the young parents unfit caregivers.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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Democrats wringing their hands and making appeals to process while the President sends people to Salvadoran prisons without trial are unfit to meet the moment, this theory says.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Its old building, constructed in 1939 for the Social Security Board, needed expensive renovations; reportedly had ancient, faulty wiring; was far too big; and was generally unsuitable for modern journalism.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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The list of skilled talent deemed unsuitable by the coaching staff since the spring of 2024 includes the list above, married to names like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, all of whom were found wanting.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The long-term damage that an unqualified, incompetent, compromised or immoral — but superpowered — mayor can inflict on the city is too great.—
Steven Falk,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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But this time, instead of managing guest complaints, incompetent stews, and steamy boatmances as the chief stewardess of Parsifal III on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Daisy has jumped ship (literally) as the new chief stew on Below Deck Down Under.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Some will always believe their placement incorrect.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Both parties claim problems such as invalid signatures and missing or incorrect voter information on petitions that judicial candidates submit to secure a place on the ballot.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 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
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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
-
The higher the improper payment rate, the bigger the financial hit.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Young children are still learning what are proper and improper behaviors.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Khaled al-Ahmad, a shrewd political operator in Assad’s inner circle who had negotiated the deal with the Emiratis and had briefly believed that a real political transition was possible, finally concluded that Assad was incapable of changing course.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Defense disputes the case McGuire’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, argued that the petite nurse was physically incapable of killing her 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound husband, let alone dismembering his body.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inapt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inapt. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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