incapable
adjective
in·ca·pa·ble
(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl 
1
: lacking capacity, ability, or qualification for the purpose or end in view: such as
a
: not able or fit for the doing or performance : incompetent
b
: not being in a state or of a kind to admit : insusceptible
c
archaic
: not able to take in, hold, or keep
d
archaic
: not receptive
2
: lacking legal qualification or power (as by reason of mental incompetence) : disqualified
Synonyms
Examples of incapable in a Sentence
hired a supremely incapable assistant who only made a mess of things
Recent Examples on the Web
Preverbal infants, orangutans, and all other creatures incapable of language are, by implication, powerless to perform many basic mental operations.
—
Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
The massive popular revolt against the 2021 coup, particularly among young people who had thrived during the previous decade, demonstrates that that strategy in fact succeeded, if at enormous cost, as the Myanmar military appears incapable now of reasserting its control nationwide.
—Derek Mitchell, NPR, 23 Dec. 2024
Until battery storage technology becomes cheap and scalable enough to deploy alongside renewables, solar and wind will remain incapable of meeting high energy demand when the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing, except perhaps in specific locations where conditions are near constant.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
In this current guise, City look incapable of stringing even two together.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incapable 
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Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
The massive popular revolt against the 2021 coup, particularly among young people who had thrived during the previous decade, demonstrates that that strategy in fact succeeded, if at enormous cost, as the Myanmar military appears incapable now of reasserting its control nationwide.
—Derek Mitchell, NPR, 23 Dec. 2024
Until battery storage technology becomes cheap and scalable enough to deploy alongside renewables, solar and wind will remain incapable of meeting high energy demand when the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing, except perhaps in specific locations where conditions are near constant.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
In this current guise, City look incapable of stringing even two together.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incapable
Dictionary Entries Near incapable
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapable. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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incapable
adjective
in·ca·pa·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl
: not able to do something
incapable of cleaning her room thoroughly
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