incompetence

or in·com·pe·ten·cy

[in-kom-pi-tuh ns or in-kom-pi-tuh n-see]

See more synonyms for incompetence on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality or condition of being incompetent; lack of ability.
Law. the condition of lacking power to act with legal effectiveness.

Origin of incompetence

1655–65; variant (with -ence for -ency) of earlier incompetency. See incompetent, -cy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for incompetencies

lack, incapacity, shortcoming, inefficacy, inadequacy, weakness, inefficiency, disqualification, powerlessness, ineptitude, incompetence, failure, insufficiency, necessity, frailty, ineffectiveness, impotence, incapability, inaptitude, ineptness

Examples from the Web for incompetencies

Historical Examples of incompetencies

He gazed—not without a vague shame—into a perspective of incompetencies.
From One Generation to Another
Henry Seton Merriman
By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 9
Various

Word Origin and History for incompetencies

incompetence

1660s, "inadequacy;" 1716, "want of skill," from French incompétence (mid-16c.), from in- "not, opposite of, without" (see in- (1)) + compétence (see competence). Native formation incompetency (from incompetent + -cy) is attested from 1610s.

incompetencies in Medicine

incompetence

[ĭn-kŏm′pĭ-təns]

The quality of being incompetent or incapable of performing a function, as the failure of the cardiac valves to close properly.
The condition of being not legally qualified, as to stand trial.
The inability to distinguish right from wrong or to manage one's affairs.