SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
incompetent
adjective
Lacking the skills or ability needed to perform a task adequately.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Lacking needed ability
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topIncompetent judges ability for a task; unqualified may instead mean lacking a required credential.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See incompetent in use
The novel depicts an incompetent guide whose poor maps delay the expedition.
An incompetent fictional supervisor cannot carry out the basic measuring and grouping the task requires, despite insisting that no assistance is needed.
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