incompetence
or in·com·pe·ten·cy
[ in-kom-pi-tuh ns or in-kom-pi-tuh n-see ]
/ ɪnˈkɒm pɪ təns or ɪnˈkɒm pɪ tən si /
noun
the quality or condition of being incompetent; lack of ability.
Law. the condition of lacking power to act with legal effectiveness.
Nearby words
Origin of incompetence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for incompetencies
He gazed—not without a vague shame—into a perspective of incompetencies.
From One Generation to Another|Henry Seton MerrimanBy all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for incompetencies
incompetence
[ ĭn-kŏm′pĭ-təns ]
n.
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.