incompatible

American  

[in-kuhm-pat-uh-buhl] / ˌɪn kəmˈpæt ə bəl /

adjective

1. not compatible; unable to exist together in harmony.

   She asked for a divorce because they were utterly incompatible.

   Synonyms:

   inharmonious, unsuited, unsuitable

2. contrary or opposed in character; discordant.

   incompatible colors.

   Synonyms:

   contradictory, inharmonious

3. that cannot coexist or be conjoined.

4. Logic.

   1. (of two or more propositions) unable to be true simultaneously.

   2. (of two or more attributes of an object) unable to belong to the object simultaneously; inconsistent.

5. (of positions, functions, ranks, etc.) unable to be held simultaneously by one person.

6. Medicine/Medical. of or relating to biological substances that interfere with one another physiologically, as different types of blood in a transfusion.

7. Pharmacology. of or relating to drugs that interfere with one another chemically or physiologically and therefore cannot be mixed or prescribed together.

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noun

1. Usually incompatibles. incompatible persons or things.

2. an incompatible drug or the like.

3. Logic. incompatibles,

   1. two or more propositions that cannot be true simultaneously.

   2. two or more attributes that cannot simultaneously belong to the same object.

incompatible British  

/ ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of living or existing together in peace or harmony; conflicting or antagonistic

2. opposed in nature or quality; inconsistent

3. (of an office, position, etc) only able to be held by one person at a time

4. med (esp of two drugs or two types of blood) incapable of being combined or used together; antagonistic

5. logic (of two propositions) unable to be both true at the same time

6. 1. not capable of forming successful grafts

   2. incapable of fertilizing each other

7. maths another word for inconsistent

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noun

1. (often plural) a person or thing that is incompatible with another

Synonym Usage

See inconsistent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• incompatibleness
  noun
• incompatibly
  adverb
• incompatibility
  noun

Etymology

Origin of incompatible

From the Medieval Latin word incompatibilis, dating back to 1555–65. See in- ³, compatible

Explanation

Use the adjective incompatible to describe things or people that are too different to get along. When paired with someone you can't work with, don't criticize or get mad. Just say, "We are incompatible." Put together the prefix in- and the suffix -ible and what do you get? "Not able." The center of incompatible comes from Latin, compati, or "suffer with." So think of incompatible as a way to describe something you simply are not able to suffer — there's too much conflict. Things can be incompatible just like people. Just try hooking up an incompatible piece of hardware to your computer — it won't work because it was designed for a different system.

Example Sentences

"Energy starvation as a coercive tool is incompatible with international human rights norms."

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Hollywood feels incompatible with Martel’s sophisticated, confrontational movies rooted in her country’s troubles.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Our systems were literally incompatible: We used Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat; they used Salesforce data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The idea that access to a source should come with conditions that compromise editorial integrity is fundamentally incompatible with how journalism operates.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

With these problems patched over, the two theories are no longer incompatible.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• conflicting
• inappropriate
• incongruous
• inconsistent
• irreconcilable
• unsuitable
• unsuited