inept
Americanadjective
-
without skill or aptitude for a particular task or assignment; maladroit.
He is inept at mechanical tasks. She is inept at dealing with people.
- Synonyms:
- unskillful
- Antonyms:
- suited
-
generally awkward or clumsy; haplessly incompetent.
-
inappropriate; unsuitable; out of place.
-
absurd or foolish.
an inept remark.
adjective
-
awkward, clumsy, or incompetent
-
not suitable, appropriate, or fitting; out of place
Other Word Forms
- ineptitude noun
- ineptly adverb
- ineptness noun
Etymology
Origin of inept
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ineptus, equivalent to in- in- 3 + -eptus, combining form of aptus apt
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Comedian Daniel Tosh even parlayed a desire to gawk at the web’s inept and unaware into a vicious update of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” that aired on Comedy Central for years.
From Salon • Feb. 16, 2026
There’s a real argument here that an agency so inept in its recruitment will also be inept at training people and carrying out its mission.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026
A party insider described talk of a leadership challenge before May to me as "politically inept".
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025
The authors debunk commonly held myths that cast senior citizens as inept, scam-prone users of the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
Burnham became an avid player of bridge, though he was known widely for being utterly inept at the game.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
