as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
the astounding incompetence of the new assistant
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Recent Examples of incompetence
Claims of incompetence may shield responsible parties from criminal charges but not civil penalties.
—
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Defense attorney Alan Jackson told the jury the collision never happened, and the investigation into Read was riddled with errors, bias, incompetence and deceit from the start.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Just because there was no big red folder saying 'war plans' does not mean there was no classified information...and this excuse only serves to highlight the incompetence, immaturity, and lack of seriousness for one of the most serious positions in the US Government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Defense attorney Alan Jackson told the jury the collision never happened, and the investigation into Read was riddled with errors, bias, incompetence and deceit from the start.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Just because there was no big red folder saying 'war plans' does not mean there was no classified information...and this excuse only serves to highlight the incompetence, immaturity, and lack of seriousness for one of the most serious positions in the US Government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetence
inability
Noun
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Plenty of art is a metaphor for our inability to connect with one another.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
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Their bites attack the nervous system, possibly leading to seizures, the inability to walk or the inability to breathe due to respiratory paralysis or extreme swelling in the throat, Willey warned.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompetence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetence. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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