SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
inept
adjective
Lacking skill or competence.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unskilled or ineffective
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInept can describe poor execution or tactless judgment; awkward may be temporary rather than a general lack of skill.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See inept in use
An inept repair left the drawer harder to open.
An inept attempt to label the crates gives several different models the same number, making the proposed unpacking sequence harder to follow.
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