incapable
Americanadjective
-
not capable.
- Antonyms:
- able
-
not having the necessary ability, qualification, or strength to perform some specified act or function.
As an administrator, he is simply incapable.
- Synonyms:
- unqualified, impotent
-
without ordinary capability; incompetent.
noun
idioms
adjective
-
not capable (of); lacking the ability (to)
-
powerless or helpless, as through injury or intoxication
-
not susceptible (to); not admitting (of)
a problem incapable of solution
Related Words
Incapable, incompetent, inefficient, unable are applied to a person or thing that is lacking in ability, preparation, or power for whatever is to be done. Incapable usually means inherently lacking in ability or power: incapable of appreciating music; a bridge incapable of carrying heavy loads. Incompetent, generally used only of persons, means unfit or unqualified for a particular task: incompetent as an administrator. Inefficient means wasteful in the use of effort or power: an inefficient manager; inefficient methods. Unable usually refers to a temporary condition of inability to do some specific thing: unable to relax, to go to a concert.
Other Word Forms
- incapability noun
- incapableness noun
- incapably adverb
Etymology
Origin of incapable
From the Late Latin word incapābilis, dating back to 1585–95. See in- 3, capable
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.
Nineteenth-century news media perpetuated the belief that young women were passive, incapable of deep thought or deep deception.
From Literature
And yet I remained, daily, mysteriously incapable of doing so.
From Salon
You are not constitutionally incapable of washing a carrot.
From Salon
Now, the convicted killer argues that his "torturous and inhumane" detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty, according to a court synopsis of the case.
From Barron's
Someone incapable of finding a package would be of no help in locating Mrs. Sandler, he figured, so he went looking himself.
From Literature
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.
