incapable en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɪŋˈkeɪpəbl̩/
- /ɪnˈkeɪpəbl̩/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French incapable, equivalent to in- + capable.
Meanings
-
Not capable (of doing something); unable.
A pint glass is incapable of holding more than a pint of liquid.
The British people seem incapable of avoiding the habit of leaving litter wherever they go, and the railways certainly seem to receive their fair share of it, in carriages and on stations.
1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 254:I consider him incapable of dishonesty.
According to the prevailing Danish rationale, Greenlanders were naïve and childlike, in need of protection and incapable of governing themselves.
2019 August 22, Matthew H. Birkhold, “A Brief History of the Indignities Heaped Upon Greenland”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jul 2020:
-
Not in a state to receive; not receptive; not susceptible; not able to admit.
incapable of pain, or pleasure; incapable of stain or injury
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most incapable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more incapable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
incapableness · incapably · incapability
Relateds
Synonyms
unable (not capable) · refusing (not in a state to receive)
Translations (26)
ja 無理な (not being capable) · fi kykenemätön (not being capable) · sh nemoćan (not being capable) · pon soakoahiek (not being capable) · hi असमर्थ (not being capable) · fr incapable (not being capable) · io nekapabla (not being capable) · sh nesposoban (not being capable) · ka უძლური (not being capable) · bg неспособен (not being capable) · el ανίκανος (not being capable) · sa अशक्त (not being capable) · fi kyvytön (not being capable) · pl niezdolny (not being capable) · ca incapaç (not being capable) · ja 無縁な (not in a state to receive) · eo malkapabla (not being capable) · pt incapaz (not being capable) · ja 拒む (not in a state to receive) · la incapax (not being capable) · ar عَاجِز (not being capable) · ro incapabil (not being capable) · es incapaz (not being capable) · ja できない (not being capable) · ja 不能な (not being capable) · gl incapaz (not being capable)