Incompetent (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Not doing a good job; "incompetent at chess".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Legally not qualified or sufficient; "a wife is usually considered unqualified to testify against her husband"; "incompetent witnesses".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The defendant's claim that he was mentally incompetent at the time of the crime was supported by several psychiatric evaluations.
- As the suspect was deemed incompetent to stand trial, the judge ordered a psychiatric examination to assess his mental fitness.
- Due to a conflict of interest, the judge was ruled incompetent to preside over the case and was replaced by a different judge.
- The lawyer argued that his client was incompetent to make a plea deal due to a history of cognitive impairments.
- The jury found the witness incompetent to testify as she had been coached by the defendant and had a clear bias in the case.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Meaning 3
Not qualified or suited for a purpose; "an incompetent secret service"; "the filming was hopeless incompetent".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The hospital administration was incompetent and couldn't manage the funds properly, leading to a severe shortage of medical supplies.
- The new employee was clearly incompetent and struggled to complete even the simplest tasks assigned to him.
- The agency's investigation was labelled as incompetent and sluggish by the public, who demanded swift action.
- The judge ruled that the lawyer was incompetent and had not provided adequate representation for her client.
- The IT department was deemed incompetent and couldn't rectify the technical issues plaguing the company's network for weeks.
Antonyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Showing lack of skill or aptitude; "a bungling workman"; "did a clumsy job"; "his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The new employee was clearly incompetent and struggled to complete even the simplest tasks.
- Her incompetent handling of the situation led to a major crisis that could have been avoided.
- The company's incompetent management team was responsible for the decline in sales and profits.
- He was an incompetent driver and got lost in the city despite having a GPS.
- The incompetent repairman fixed the leaky faucet, but it started leaking again a few days later.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 5
Not meeting requirements; "unequal to the demands put upon him".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The new employee was found to be incompetent and struggled to keep up with the workload of the marketing team.
- The city's transportation system was run by an incompetent management, resulting in frequent delays and cancellations.
- The surgeon was deemed incompetent by the medical board after a series of botched operations and malpractice suits.
- Despite his best efforts, the teacher felt incompetent when dealing with students who had severe behavioral issues.
- The government's response to the natural disaster was widely criticized as incompetent, with many criticizing the slow and ineffective relief efforts.