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incompetent

[ in-kom-pi-tuhnt ]
/ ÉȘnˈkɒm pÉȘ tənt /
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See synonyms for: incompetent / incompetents / incompetently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
not competent; lacking qualification or ability; incapable: an incompetent candidate.
characterized by or showing incompetence: His incompetent acting ruined the play.
Law.
  1. being unable or legally unqualified to perform specified acts or to be held legally responsible for such acts.
  2. inadmissible, as evidence.
noun
an incompetent person; a mentally deficient person.
Law. a person lacking power to act with legal effectiveness.
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Origin of incompetent

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin incompetent- (stem of incompetēns ) “unsuitable.” See in-3, competent

synonym study for incompetent

1. See incapable.

OTHER WORDS FROM incompetent

in·com·pe·tent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use incompetent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for incompetent

incompetent
/ (ÉȘnˈkɒmpÉȘtənt) /

adjective
not possessing the necessary ability, skill, etc to do or carry out a task; incapable
marked by lack of ability, skill, etc
law not legally qualifiedan incompetent witness
(of rock strata, folds, etc) yielding readily to pressure so as to undergo structural deformation
noun
an incompetent person

Derived forms of incompetent

incompetence or incompetency, nounincompetently, 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
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