1
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
an inexpert attempt at putting on an outdoor concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
the inexpert mechanic only made the problem worse—and charged me a fortune for doing it
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)
well-meaning but inexpert expressions of sympathy from friends after the funeral
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in amateur
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science
the shoddy tiling in the bathroom was a sure sign that it was the work of an inexpert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inexpert
Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 2 Sep. 2022
Despite the exhibition’s dynamism and appreciated efforts to frame each work for the viewer, the accompanying wall text and political readings felt thin and inexpert at times.
—Dallas News, 6 May 2022
That’s not surprising: Conspiracy theorists often aim to ply the inexpert masses with plausible-sounding but inaccurate legalisms in order to sow confusion.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2021
The evening was a simple, completely inexpert exercise in apolitical comity.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 6 June 2021
Adjective
The procedure is not without risk: The mortality rate from tellurium injections is 12 percent, and can rise as high as 68 percent for children when the work is performed by an inexpert hand.
—Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 2 Sep. 2022
Despite the exhibition’s dynamism and appreciated efforts to frame each work for the viewer, the accompanying wall text and political readings felt thin and inexpert at times.
—Dallas News, 6 May 2022
That’s not surprising: Conspiracy theorists often aim to ply the inexpert masses with plausible-sounding but inaccurate legalisms in order to sow confusion.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2021
The evening was a simple, completely inexpert exercise in apolitical comity.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 6 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inexpert
Adjective
-
All of Quigley’s challengers are politically inexperienced but impassioned Democrats running to the incumbent’s left.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The most common complaints include denying legitimate claims, partnering with inexperienced and unqualified service providers, poor service, and slow response times.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
6 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
-
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
-
The tech driving my first clumsy steps included a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GPS sensors monitoring each ski’s position and the weight and angle of my heel.—
Kendall Hunter,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Only amateurs, another agent told me, would try to cut corners by using AI photos.—
Franklin Schneider,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Aside from the New York Giants’ capitalizing on John Harbaugh’s sudden availability, the most memorable parts of this period will be owners behaving like amateurs in public and then defaulting to their callow and superficial hiring practices.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The resulting investigation by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services deemed the young parents unfit caregivers.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
The image became a meme, repeatedly used to portray Miliband as awkward.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The communication was straightforward and a bit awkward, sadly missing the mentions of Nancy Guthrie’s humanity that had peppered the family’s first video.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The trails break down to 16 percent beginner, 55 percent intermediate, and 29 percent advanced runs.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
-
While my group of beginners played on one half of the ice, across the ice was a league game at play among club members with less than five years of experience in the sport.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Inexpert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inexpert. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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