unqualified
Americanadjective
-
not qualified; not fit; lacking requisite qualifications.
unqualified for the job.
- Synonyms:
- incompetent, unfit
-
not modified, limited, or restricted in any way; without reservations.
unqualified praise.
- Synonyms:
- unmitigated
-
absolute; complete; out-and-out.
an unqualified liar.
adjective
-
lacking the necessary qualifications
-
not restricted or modified
an unqualified criticism
-
(usually prenominal) (intensifier)
an unqualified success
Synonym Usage
See absolute.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unqualified
Explanation
If you're unqualified for something, you're not cut out to do it, often because you don't have the skills or knowledge you need. A dog trainer is most likely unqualified to perform brain surgery. The adjective unqualified is good for describing someone who isn't fit for a task or job. You wouldn't want an unqualified dentist to fill your cavity, and an unqualified babysitter might not even know how to change a diaper or put a bandage on a scraped elbow. Another way people can be unqualified is when they lack some necessary document — you're unqualified to teach in a public school, for example, without a state teaching certificate.
Vocabulary lists containing unqualified
United States v. Nixon (1974)
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Roe v. Wade (1973)
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On Liberty
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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.
Counting pre-K through 12th grade, Americans are spending a trillion dollars a year on public schools—yet less than 10% of adults view the results with unqualified approval.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
But other voters simply recoiled at having to select a candidate they viewed as entirely unqualified.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Rand said the death of Madison Bruce Smith - a baby in his Altrincham and Sale West constituency - had shown the real-world consequences of allowing unqualified practitioners.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Mark Warner, the panel's top Democrat, said the underlying bill had been sound but that Pulte was "grossly unqualified" for the role.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Certainly, for popular music, recording was an unqualified blessing.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
