Examples of incompetence in a Sentence
Because of his incompetence, we won't make our deadline.
She was fired for gross incompetence.
Recent Examples on the Web
There will also, no doubt, be a search for efficiency savings, and efforts to root out what Mr. Trump has called incompetence and corruption.
—
Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Trump’s approval rating never surpassed 50 percent during his first term, and a combination of incompetence, overreach, unpopular policies, and partisan polarization will likely limit his support during his second.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
While Gutierrez-Reed was convicted, the case against Baldwin was eventually dropped due to incompetence by the local district attorney’s office in New Mexico.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2025
Trump and his conservative allies alleged that the network had edited the answer to mask her incompetence in an act of partisan bias.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Trump’s approval rating never surpassed 50 percent during his first term, and a combination of incompetence, overreach, unpopular policies, and partisan polarization will likely limit his support during his second.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
While Gutierrez-Reed was convicted, the case against Baldwin was eventually dropped due to incompetence by the local district attorney’s office in New Mexico.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2025
Trump and his conservative allies alleged that the network had edited the answer to mask her incompetence in an act of partisan bias.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Articles Related to incompetence
Cite this Entry
“Incompetence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incompetence. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
(ˈ)in-ˈkäm-pət-ən(t)s 
: the quality, state, or fact of being incompetent
Medical Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
(ˈ)in-ˈkäm-pət-ən(t)s
1
: lack of legal qualification
2
: inability of an organ or part to perform its function adequately
incompetence of an aortic valve
Legal Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
in-ˈkäm-pə-təns
: the state or fact of being incompetent compare competency
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share