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Incompatible

 - 5 dictionary results

in⋅com⋅pat⋅i⋅ble

[in-kuhm-pat-uh-buhl]
–adjective
1. not compatible; unable to exist together in harmony: She asked for a divorce because they were utterly incompatible.
2. contrary or opposed in character; discordant: incompatible colors.
3. that cannot coexist or be conjoined.
4. Logic.
a. (of two or more propositions) unable to be true simultaneously.
b. (of two or more attributes of an object) unable to belong to the object simultaneously; inconsistent.
5. (of positions, functions, ranks, etc.) unable to be held simultaneously by one person.
6. Medicine/Medical. of or pertaining to biological substances that interfere with one another physiologically, as different types of blood in a transfusion.
7. Pharmacology. of or pertaining to drugs that interfere with one another chemically or physiologically and therefore cannot be mixed or prescribed together.
–noun
8. Usually, incompatibles. incompatible persons or things.
9. an incompatible drug or the like.
10. incompatibles, Logic.
a. two or more propositions that cannot be true simultaneously.
b. two or more attributes that cannot simultaneously belong to the same object.

Origin:
1555–65; < ML incompatibilis. See in- 3 , compatible


in⋅com⋅pat⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, in⋅com⋅pat⋅i⋅ble⋅ness, noun
in⋅com⋅pat⋅i⋅bly, adverb


1. unsuitable, unsuited. See inconsistent. 1, 2. inharmonious. 2. contradictory.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·com·pat·i·ble   (ĭn'kəm-pāt'ə-bəl)   
adj.  
  1. Incapable of associating or blending or of being associated or blended because of disharmony, incongruity, or antagonism: incompatible views on religion.

  2. Impossible to be held simultaneously by one person: the incompatible offices of prosecutor and judge.

  3. Logic That cannot be simultaneously true; mutually exclusive.

  4. Medicine

    1. Producing an undesirable effect when used in combination with a particular substance: a medication that is incompatible with alcohol.

    2. Not immunologically compatible: incompatible blood types.

n.  One that is incompatible.
in'com·pat'i·ble·ness n., in'com·pat'i·bly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

incompatible 
1563, from M.L. incompatibilis, from in- "not" + compatibilis (see compatible). Originally of benefices, "incapable of being held together;" sense of "mutually intolerant" is from 1592.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·com·pat·i·ble
Pronunciation: "in-k&m-'pat-&-b&l
Function: adjective
1 : unsuitable for usetogether because of chemical interaction or antagonistic physiological effects <incompatible drugs>
2 of blood or serum : unsuitable for use in a particulartransfusion because of the presence of agglutinins that act against the recipient's red blood cells
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

incompatible in·com·pat·i·ble (ĭn'kəm-pāt'ə-bəl)
adj.

  1. Incapable of associating or blending or of being associated or blended because of disharmony, incongruity, or antagonism.

  2. Producing an undesirable effect when used in combination with a particular substance, as a medicine in combination with alcohol.

  3. Not suitable for combination or administration because of immunological differences, as blood types.


in'com·pat·i·bil'i·ty (ĭn'kəm-pāt'ə-bĭl'ĭ-tē) n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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