ineligible

American  

[in-el-i-juh-buhl] / ɪnˈɛl ɪ dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. not eligible; not permitted or suitable.

   Employees are ineligible in this contest.

   Synonyms:

   unsuitable

2. legally disqualified to hold an office.

3. legally disqualified to function as a juror, voter, witness, etc., or to become the recipient of a privilege.

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noun

1. a person who is ineligible, as a suitor or team member.

ineligible British  

/ ɪnˈɛlɪdʒəbəl /

adjective

1. not fit or qualified

   ineligible for a grant

   ineligible to vote

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noun

1. an ineligible person

Other Word Forms

• ineligibility noun
• ineligibleness noun
• ineligibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ineligible

First recorded in 1760–70; in- ³ + eligible

Example Sentences

Social workers employed by a nonprofit—funded by hospitals and health insurers—spent recent weeks searching for undocumented immigrants to sign up for Medicaid before a deadline that would make them ineligible.

From The Wall Street Journal

Edwards, 22, would be ineligible for Wales selection if he went to play in England because he has only played seven internationals.

From BBC

Under the Constitution and federal law, states are responsible for running elections and maintaining lists of voters, including the addition of new ones and the removal of those who have become ineligible.

From The Wall Street Journal

Any minor change to the servicer or to a person’s jobs can render them suddenly ineligible.

From MarketWatch

The people who were ineligible were healthier, and they hadn’t been using the benefits as much, so they were cheaper for the system to cover.

From Barron's

Related Words

• unavailable
• unfit
• unqualified
• unsuitable