incompatible

American  

[in-kuhm-pat-uh-buhl] / ˌɪn kəmˈpæt ə bəl /

adjective

1. not compatible; unable to exist together in harmony.

   She asked for a divorce because they were utterly incompatible.

   Synonyms:

   inharmonious, unsuited, unsuitable

2. contrary or opposed in character; discordant.

   incompatible colors.

   Synonyms:

   contradictory, inharmonious

3. that cannot coexist or be conjoined.

4. Logic.

   1. (of two or more propositions) unable to be true simultaneously.

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

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

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

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

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noun

1. Usually incompatibles. incompatible persons or things.

2. an incompatible drug or the like.

3. Logic. incompatibles,

   1. two or more propositions that cannot be true simultaneously.

   2. two or more attributes that cannot simultaneously belong to the same object.

incompatible British  

/ ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbəl /

adjective

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

2. opposed in nature or quality; inconsistent

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

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

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

6. 1. not capable of forming successful grafts

   2. incapable of fertilizing each other

7. maths another word for inconsistent

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noun

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

Related Words

See inconsistent.

Other Word Forms

• incompatibility noun
• incompatibleness noun
• incompatibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of incompatible

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

Example Sentences

Marc Cavey, a decision maker on behalf of the Secretary of State, confirmed the decision and described Joynes' behaviour as "fundamentally incompatible with working as a teacher".

From BBC

Dance and food used to feel incompatible in my life; now they feel braided together, a quiet symphony of movement and nourishment.

From Salon

Jenrick said he did not consider it "defensible" that Fattah received British citizenship when his social media showed that he had "extremist views that are completely incompatible with British values".

From BBC

Continued police custody was not appropriate for the suspect because it is "considered incompatible with the state of his health", the prosecutors' office told AFP.

From Barron's

The complex traceability rules are incompatible with real-world supply chains, making the regulation the law of the land even for those who don’t intend to do business with the EU.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conflicting
• inappropriate
• incongruous
• inconsistent
• irreconcilable
• unsuitable
• unsuited