incompatible

[in-kuhm-pat-uh-buhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incompatible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not compatible; unable to exist together in harmony: She asked for a divorce because they were utterly incompatible.

contrary or opposed in character; discordant: incompatible colors.

that cannot coexist or be conjoined.

Logic.

(of two or more propositions) unable to be true simultaneously.
(of two or more attributes of an object) unable to belong to the object simultaneously; inconsistent.

(of positions, functions, ranks, etc.) unable to be held simultaneously by one person.

Medicine/Medical. of or relating to biological substances that interfere with one another physiologically, as different types of blood in a transfusion.

Pharmacology. of or relating to drugs that interfere with one another chemically or physiologically and therefore cannot be mixed or prescribed together.

noun

Usually incompatibles. incompatible persons or things.

an incompatible drug or the like.

incompatibles, Logic.

two or more propositions that cannot be true simultaneously.
two or more attributes that cannot simultaneously belong to the same object.

Origin of incompatible

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

Related formsin·com·pat·i·bil·i·ty, in·com·pat·i·ble·ness, nounin·com·pat·i·bly, adverb

Synonyms for incompatible

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incompatible ON THESAURUS.COM

1. unsuitable, unsuited. See inconsistent. 1, 2. inharmonious. 2. contradictory.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for incompatibility

animosity, disagreement, opposition, conflict, discordance

Examples from the Web for incompatibility

Contemporary Examples of incompatibility

The incompatibility between motherhood and tech, it seems, runs far deeper than the timing of pregnancy alone.
Don’t Be Fooled by Apple and Facebook, Egg Freezing Is Not a Benefit
Samantha Allen
October 17, 2014
That incompatibility begins in an education system that is wary of encouraging original thinking and potentially disobedience.
China’s Schools Teaches Kids to Take Tests, Obey the State, and Not Much More
Junheng Li
November 30, 2013

Historical Examples of incompatibility

Incompossibility, it will be seen, is only incompatibility let loose.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
The word "incompatibility" had not come into wide-spread use.
Gigolo
Edna Ferber
The ethnologist sees in it the incompatibility of Celt and Saxon.
William Pitt and the Great War
John Holland Rose
"Separated for incompatibility of temper; that was all," said Mrs. Brand coolly.
A True Friend
Adeline Sergeant
Generally, however, as this incompatibility is accepted, it is not unchallenged.
Evolution, Old & New
Samuel Butler

British Dictionary definitions for incompatibility

incompatible

adjective

incapable of living or existing together in peace or harmony; conflicting or antagonistic

opposed in nature or quality; inconsistent

(of an office, position, etc) only able to be held by one person at a time

med (esp of two drugs or two types of blood) incapable of being combined or used together; antagonistic

logic (of two propositions) unable to be both true at the same time

(of plants)

not capable of forming successful grafts
incapable of fertilizing each other

maths another word for inconsistent (def. 4)

noun

(often plural) a person or thing that is incompatible with another

Derived Formsincompatibility or incompatibleness, nounincompatibly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incompatibility

1610s; see incompatible + -ity.

incompatible

adj.

mid-15c., from Medieval Latin incompatibilis, from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + compatibilis (see compatible). Originally of benefices, "incapable of being held together;" sense of "mutually intolerant" is from 1590s. Related: Incompatibly.

incompatibility in Medicine

incompatible

[ĭn′kəm-păt′ə-bəl]

adj.

Incapable of associating or blending or of being associated or blended because of disharmony, incongruity, or antagonism.

Producing an undesirable effect when used in combination with a particular substance, as a medicine in combination with alcohol.

Not suitable for combination or administration because of immunological differences, as blood types.

Related formsin′com•pat•i•bil′i•ty (ĭn′kəm-păt′ə-bĭl′ĭ-tē) n.