ineligible
Americanadjective
-
not eligible; not permitted or suitable.
Employees are ineligible in this contest.
- Synonyms:
- unsuitable
-
legally disqualified to hold an office.
-
legally disqualified to function as a juror, voter, witness, etc., or to become the recipient of a privilege.
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ineligible
Explanation
To be ineligible is to not qualify for something. When you're eligible for something — like a contest — you are allowed to enter. Being ineligible is the opposite; it means that you can't enter or participate in something. After a certain age, children are ineligible for playing Little League baseball. Students below a certain grade point average are ineligible for scholarships. People born outside the United States are ineligible to run for President. If you want to know who's eligible and ineligible for something, check the rules or laws.
Vocabulary lists containing ineligible
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 32-year-old was first-choice stand-off during their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, but he has been ineligible for selection while playing his club rugby in Japan since.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The line for those ineligible for the biometric scans, including families with children younger than 12 and those without a chip in their passport, was nearly an hour long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
My question is whether that additional income would make him ineligible for SSI, assuming he would even agree to apply for public assistance in the first place.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The principal punished him by making him ineligible for athletic and social activities.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
