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

Related Words

See inconsistent.

Other Word Forms

• incompatibility noun
• incompatibleness noun
• incompatibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of incompatible

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

Example Sentences

Slowing economic growth, one result of tariffs, is incompatible with a rising market, he writes.

From Barron's

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that "participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us".

From BBC

In the transformer, short-term memory and long-term memory are organized in an incompatible manner, with no clear way to transfer from short-term memory to long-term memory, according to Stamirowska.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the blunt words of Document 19, “Marxism is incompatible with any theistic worldview,” an obstacle to socialism’s putatively “brilliant future.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

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