incapacity

American  

[in-kuh-pas-i-tee] / ˌɪn kəˈpæs ɪ ti /

noun

1. lack of ability, qualification, or strength; incapability.

2. Law. lack of the legal power to act in a specified way or ways.

---

incapacity British  

/ ˌɪnkəˈpæsɪtɪ /

noun

1. lack of power, strength, or capacity; inability

2. law

   1. legal disqualification or ineligibility

   2. a circumstance causing this

---

Etymology

Origin of incapacity

From the Late Latin word incapācitās, dating back to 1605–15. See in- ³, capacity

Example Sentences

But the line between incapacity and hardship is not always clear, especially when poverty and homelessness are involved.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

When clinicians blur the line between suffering and incapacity, accommodation loses its meaning, standards lose force, and those with genuine impairments are met with suspicion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Kuczynski's replacement Martin Vizcarra lasted only two years in the job, ousted by Congress in 2020 for "moral incapacity " -- a charge that has also been leveled against other Peruvian leaders.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

You can do this on the grounds of misconduct, negligence or incapacity, and it sounds as if at least two of those reasons apply to your situation.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 4, 2025

The resort to weapons such as insecticides to control it is a proof of insufficient knowledge and of an incapacity so to guide the processes of nature that brute force becomes unnecessary.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson