incompetent
Use Incompetent in a sentence
pɪ adjective
1.
not competent; lacking qualification or ability; incapable: an incompetent candidate.
2.
characterized by or showing incompetence: His incompetent acting ruined the play.
3.
Law.
a.
being unable or legally unqualified to perform specified acts or to be held legally responsible for such acts.
b.
inadmissible, as evidence.
noun
4.
an incompetent person; a mentally deficient person.
5.
Law. a person lacking power to act with legal effectiveness.
00:10
Incompetent
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To incompetent
Collins
World English Dictionary
incompetent (ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | not possessing the necessary ability, skill, etc to do or carry out a task; incapable |
| 2. | marked by lack of ability, skill, etc |
| 3. | law not legally qualified: an incompetent witness |
| 4. | (of rock strata, folds, etc) yielding readily to pressure so as to undergo structural deformation |
| —n | |
| 5. | an incompetent person |
| in'competence | |
| —n | |
| in'competency | |
| —n | |
| in'competently | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
incompetent
1611, "insufficient," from Fr. incompetent, from L.L. incompetentem, from in- "not" + L. competentem (see competent). Sense of "lacking qualification or ability" first recorded 1635.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
incompetent in·com·pe·tent (ĭn-kŏm'pĭ-tənt)
adj.
Inadequate for or unsuited to a particular purpose or application.
Incapable of proper functioning.
Not qualified in legal terms.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
In such business, if an agent is unskillful or from any cause incompetent, he is immediately discharged.
Incompetent use of the circuitry can cause a disaster, it is possible to generate high voltages in the millions of volts.
Bankers are widely condemned either as greedy usurers or as incompetent fools.
It may even be reproducible to you, unless you are completely incompetent.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
