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.
“In my opinion, he is incapable of running.”
From Washington Times
That matters not because agencies are incapable of making highly consequential decisions, but rather because an initiative of this scope, cost, and political salience is not the type that Congress lightly delegates to an agency.
From New York Times
It opens with a D flat in the low strings, winds and brass, a tenebrous and flatly final sound incapable of being dislodged by the thwacks and thumps surrounding it.
From New York Times
Under cross examination, Nadkarni said Bowers was not “incapable” of planning the attack, but said “his reasons for planning it out are unreliable in his brain.”
From Seattle Times
Most cats are incapable of refraining from ecstatic nibbling and rolling about on a newly planted catnip plant.
From Seattle Times
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.
