incompatible

[ in-kuhm-pat-uh-buhl ]
See synonyms for: incompatibleincompatibilityincompatibly on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. that cannot coexist or be conjoined.

  2. Logic.

    • (of two or more propositions) unable to be true simultaneously.

    • (of two or more attributes of an object) unable to belong to the object simultaneously; inconsistent.

  3. (of positions, functions, ranks, etc.) unable to be held simultaneously by one person.

  4. Medicine/Medical. of or relating to biological substances that interfere with one another physiologically, as different types of blood in a transfusion.

  5. Pharmacology. of or relating to drugs that interfere with one another chemically or physiologically and therefore cannot be mixed or prescribed together.

noun
  1. Usually incompatibles. incompatible persons or things.

  2. an incompatible drug or the like.

  1. incompatibles, Logic.

    • two or more propositions that cannot be true simultaneously.

    • two or more attributes that cannot simultaneously belong to the same object.

Origin of incompatible

1
From the Medieval Latin word incompatibilis, dating back to 1555–65. See in-3, compatible

synonym study For incompatible

1. See inconsistent.

Other words for incompatible

Other words from incompatible

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

Words Nearby incompatible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use incompatible in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for incompatible

incompatible

/ (ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbəl) /


adjective
  1. incapable of living or existing together in peace or harmony; conflicting or antagonistic

  2. opposed in nature or quality; inconsistent

  1. (of an office, position, etc) only able to be held by one person at a time

  2. med (esp of two drugs or two types of blood) incapable of being combined or used together; antagonistic

  3. logic (of two propositions) unable to be both true at the same time

  4. (of plants)

    • not capable of forming successful grafts

    • incapable of fertilizing each other

  5. maths another word for inconsistent (def. 4)

noun
  1. (often plural) a person or thing that is incompatible with another

Derived forms of incompatible

  • incompatibility or incompatibleness, noun
  • incompatibly, 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