SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
incompatible
adjective
Unable to exist, work, or be true together without conflict.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unable to fit together
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topMutually exclusive is strongest: both cannot occur together. Incompatible can also describe practical difficulty working together.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See incompatible in use
The two instructions were incompatible because one required the door to remain open and the other required it to stay locked.
Two proposed page requirements were incompatible: one demanded a single small sheet, while the other required every label to remain larger than that sheet could accommodate.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license