as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
an incompetent carpenter had built the deck, and the railings were loose already
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incompetent
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 29 Jan. 2026
While Nix’s absence naturally carries plenty of weight, fill-in Jarrett Stidham is far from incompetent.
—Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Bateman gets away with murder not because the police are incompetent, but because the culture refuses to see him clearly.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Messy data creates an incompetent digital workforce.
—Yasmeen Ahmad, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Adjective
The trio complained at past court appearances that their respective attorneys are incompetent.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 29 Jan. 2026
While Nix’s absence naturally carries plenty of weight, fill-in Jarrett Stidham is far from incompetent.
—Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Bateman gets away with murder not because the police are incompetent, but because the culture refuses to see him clearly.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Messy data creates an incompetent digital workforce.
—Yasmeen Ahmad, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetent
Adjective
-
Apparently, the Meyers in Long Beach were ruled unfit as guardians, or Lynn refused to go back to them, so juvenile authorities located some blood relatives, possibly her father or half sister, and put her on a train back East.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is a couple unfit to govern a two-bedroom.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 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
-
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
-
The toddler danced around, incapable of containing his energy.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If unavailable, ask your butcher to thinly slice it for you.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Brandon Boys, the Richton Park director of economic development, said Friday residents seem most excited to see the offerings at the butcher counter as well as the store’s full-service offerings in the produce and deli sections.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompetent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetent. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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