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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

incompetent en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/ (General-American)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French incompétent, from Late Latin incompetentem, from Latin incompetēns, equivalent to in- + competent.

Meanings

  1. Lacking the degree of ability and responsibility necessary to do a task successfully.
    • Having an incompetent lawyer may be grounds for a retrial, but the lawyer in question probably doesn't know that.
    • Near-synonyms: incapable, inable, unable
    • Many Gazans scorn Fatah as corrupt and incompetent, and they dislike Hamas's overzealousness and repression. 2009 January 8, Nicholas D. Kristof, “The Gaza Boomerang”, in The New York Times:
  2. Unable to make rational decisions; insane or otherwise cognitively impaired.
    • The charged was judged incompetent to stand trial, at least until his medication started working.
  3. (of the cervix) Opening too early during pregnancy, resulting in miscarriage or premature birth.
    • Near-synonyms: dysfunctional, nonfunctioning
  4. Not resistant to deformation or flow.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more incompetent Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most incompetent Degree=Sup lexicographic

Antonyms

masterful · artful · apt · capable · competent · able · gain · masterlike · crafty · facile · maestrolike · thoroughbred · habile · practiced · proficient · conversant · skillful · tight · adept · accomplished · deft · consummate · able · versed · fluent · crack · masterous · capable · qualified · handy · quick · dexterous · competent · expert · adroit · ready · professional · masterly · skilled

Deriveds

incompetently · non-incompetent · immunoincompetent · retroincompetent · incompetentness

Relateds

incompetence · incompetency

Synonyms

inadequate · subpar · unable · unfavorable · fourth-rate · pathetic · negative · inelegant · sixth-rate · abysmal · crummy · atrocious · disagreeable · inept · deityforsaken · crappy · miserable · crap · horrendous · naff · lackluster · hideous · hellish · ordinary · rubbish · sloppy · coarse · bad · foul · intolerable · chronic · terrible · lousy · inferior · horrible · crapalicious · ineffective · dismal · dreadful · loathsome · rotten · corny · shitawful · awful · fifth-rate · inable · peak · horrid · horrific · dysfunctional · godawful · incapable · uncompetent · noncompetent · incompetent · dogshit · shitty · hopeless · dire · nonfunctioning · wack · odious · piss-poor

Translations (66)

nb inkompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · bn বেওয়াকেফ (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · la inhabilis (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · af onbekwaam (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · th ไม่ได้เรื่อง (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · bg неумел (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · oc incompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · az səriştəsiz (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fi pystymätön (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · bg невменяем (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · de unfähig (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ka უნიჭო (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · tr beceriksiz (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ka არაკომპეტენტური (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · hi नालायक (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · is vanhæfur (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · nl incompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · is liðónýtur (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ja できない (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · uk некомпете́нтний (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · bg неспособен (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ja 無能な (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · la sēgnis (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ru некомпете́нтный (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · mi hakorea (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ka შეურაცხადი (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · fi vajaavaltainen (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · ca incompetent (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · yi נישט־פֿעיִק (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ca incompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · pdc unfaehich (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ru невменя́емый (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · yi אומפֿעיִק (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · af onbevoeg (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · it incompetente (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · th ไม่เอาไหน (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ka უუნარო (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fi kyvytön (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · is ónýtur (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fi taitamaton (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · eo malkompetenta (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · nn inkompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · hy անմեղսունակ (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · sa अशक्त (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · mi koretake (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · pl niekompetentny (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · hy անձեռնհաս (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · pt incompetente (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · be некампетэ́нтны (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · af inkometent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · es incompetente (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · is óhæfur (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · tr yeteneksiz (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · bg некомпетентен (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · de inkompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · yi אומקאָמפּעטענט (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ro incompetent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · el αναρμόδιος (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · gl incompetente (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · mi hēhē (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fi epäpätevä (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fr incompétent (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · ka უმეცარი (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · eo nekompetenta (unskilled, lacking normally expected degree of ability) · fi kykenemätön (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired) · mi koretake (unable to make rational decisions, insane or otherwise cognitively impaired)

incompetent en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/ (General-American)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French incompétent, from Late Latin incompetentem, from Latin incompetēns, equivalent to in- + competent.

Meanings

  1. A person who is incompetent.
    • "Lies!" said the tallest of the sons of Ivaldi. "I wouldn't trust those fumble-fingered incompetents to shoe a horse." 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 34:
    • But besides these incompetents, there was always a train of camp followers, —women who followed the camp, beggars, and criminals, whose number was often greater than the number of fighting soldiers. 1915, Henry Smith Williams, Edward Huntington Williams, Modern Warfare, page 11:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
incompetents Number=Plur lexicographic