Incompetent — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

someone who is not competent to take effective action

legally not qualified or sufficient

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪŋkˈɑːmpɪtənt/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪŋkˈɒmpɪtənt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪŋkˈɒmpɪtənt/

4 syllables Say it as /ɪŋkˈɑːmpɪtənt/.

Examples

a wife is usually considered unqualified to testify against her husband
incompetent witnesses
an incompetent secret service

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

clumsy incompetent person bungling unqualified unskilled incapable fumbling unequal to

Antonyms

competent

Parts of Speech

noun	someone who is not competent to take effective action
adjective	legally not qualified or sufficient “a wife is usually considered unqualified to testify against her husband”
adjective	not qualified or suited for a purpose “an incompetent secret service”
adjective	showing lack of skill or aptitude “a bungling workman”
adjective	not doing a good job “incompetent at chess”
adjective	not meeting requirements “unequal to the demands put upon him”

Word Forms

incompetency	noun	lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications
incompetence	noun	lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications
clumsiness	noun	unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
incapability	noun	the quality of not being capable -- physically or intellectually or legally

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

inkompetent

jemand, der nicht kompetent ist, wirksame Maßnahmen zu ergreifen

🇫🇷French

incompétent

quelqu'un qui n'est pas compétent pour prendre des mesures efficaces

🇪🇸Spanish

incompetente

alguien que no es competente para tomar medidas efectivas

🇮🇹Italian

incompetente

qualcuno che non è competente per intraprendere azioni efficaci

🇵🇹Portuguese

incompetente

alguém que não é competente para tomar medidas eficazes

🇷🇺Russian

некомпетентный

тот, кто некомпетентен для принятия эффективных мер

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अक्षम

कोई ऐसा व्यक्ति जो प्रभावी कार्रवाई करने में सक्षम नहीं है

🇧🇩Bengali

অযোগ্য

যে কেউ কার্যকর পদক্ষেপ নিতে সক্ষম নয়

🇮🇳Tamil

திறமையற்ற

பயனுள்ள நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க தகுதியற்ற ஒருவர்

🇮🇳Telugu

అసమర్థుడు

సమర్థవంతమైన చర్య తీసుకునే సామర్థ్యం లేని వ్యక్తి

🇮🇳Marathi

अक्षम

प्रभावी कारवाई करण्यास सक्षम नसलेली व्यक्ती

🇮🇳Gujarati

અસમર્થ

અસરકારક પગલાં લેવા માટે સક્ષમ ન હોય તેવી વ્યક્તિ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಸಮರ್ಥ

ಪರಿಣಾಮಕಾರಿ ಕ್ರಮ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಸಮರ್ಥರಲ್ಲದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കഴിവില്ലാത്തവൻ

ഫലപ്രദമായ നടപടിയെടുക്കാൻ കഴിവില്ലാത്ത ഒരാൾ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਅਯੋਗ

ਕੋਈ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਜੋ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵੀ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਯੋਗ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

نااہل

کوئی ایسا شخص جو موثر کارروائی کرنے کا اہل نہیں ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

无能的

没有能力采取有效行动的人

🇯🇵Japanese

無能な

効果的な行動を起こす能力のない人

🇰🇷Korean

무능한

효과적인 조치를 취할 능력이 없는 사람

🇻🇳Vietnamese

bất tài

một người không có thẩm quyền để có hành động hiệu quả

🇹🇭Thai

ไร้ความสามารถ

คนที่ไม่มีความสามารถในการดำเนินการอย่างมีประสิทธิผล

🇮🇩Indonesian

tidak kompeten

seseorang yang tidak kompeten untuk mengambil tindakan yang efektif

🇵🇭Filipino

walang kakayahan

isang taong walang kakayahang gumawa ng epektibong aksyon

🇲🇾Malay

tidak cekap

seseorang yang tidak cekap untuk mengambil tindakan yang berkesan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

غير كفء

شخص غير مؤهل لاتخاذ إجراءات فعالة

🇮🇷Persian

بی عرضه

کسی که صلاحیت انجام اقدام موثر را ندارد

🇹🇷Turkish

beceriksiz

Etkili eylemde bulunma konusunda yetkin olmayan biri

🇮🇱Hebrew

חֲסַר יְכוֹלֶת

מישהו שאינו כשיר לנקוט פעולה יעילה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'incompetent'?

The primary meaning of 'incompetent' is 'someone who is not competent to take effective action'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'incompetent' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'incompetent' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'incompetent' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'incompetent' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'incompetent' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'incompetent' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'incompetent' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'incompetent' in regular conversations?

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How likely are you to use 'incompetent' in a professional email?

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