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incompetent

/ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/noun, adjective4 syllables

Incompetent means: not qualified or suited for a purpose.

Synonyms for incompetent25

noun, as in someone who is not competent to take effective action

incompetent person

adjective, as in not qualified or suited for a purpose

feckless, inept, ineffective, inefficient, unworkmanlike, unqualified, unskilled

adjective, as in showing lack of skill or aptitude

bungling, clumsy, fumbling, unskilled

adjective, as in not meeting requirements

adjective, as in not doing a good job

unskilled, bad

adjective, as in legally not qualified or sufficient

unqualified

also used for incompetent

noncompetent, uncompetent, abysmal, atrocious, awful, chronic, coarse, dysfunctional, nonfunctioning

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of incompetent

What does incompetent mean?6

adjective

1

not qualified or suited for a purpose“an incompetent secret service”

2

showing lack of skill or aptitude“a bungling workman”

3

not meeting requirements“unequal to the demands put upon him”

4

not doing a good job“incompetent at chess”

5

legally not qualified or sufficient“a wife is usually considered unqualified to testify against her husband”

noun

1

someone who is not competent to take effective action

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Incompetent in a sentence

  • Because your boss is incompetent, he's making your life a nightmare.Amastan
  • The waiter seemed incompetent, but he was just overwhelmed.Eccles17
  • The referee in that match was not just incompetent, he was biased.carlosalberto
  • He was fired for being an incompetent worker.Shishir
  • Incompetent people are the ones who talk the most.mailohilohi
  • Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.Ooneykcall
  • Algeria needs to remove corrupt and incompetent officials.Amastan
  • Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.carlosalberto

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of incompetent

as a noun

plural
incompetents