incompetent

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Related to incompetent: incompetent person

in·com·pe·tent

(ĭn-kŏm′pĭ-tənt)

adj.

a. Lacking qualities necessary for effective conduct or action: an incompetent manager.

b. Inadequate for or unsuited to a particular purpose or application: "Because so many diseases fluctuate randomly over time, patients sometimes spontaneously improve despite incompetent treatment" (Richard A. Friedman).

c. Not functioning properly in the body: an incompetent heart valve.

2. Law

a. Not legally qualified, as testimony that does not meet the standards for admissibility or a juror whose personal interest in the outcome of the case does not allow him or her to serve.

b. Lacking sufficient mental ability or awareness: a defendant incompetent to stand trial.

An incompetent person.

in·com′pe·tent·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

incompetent

(ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt)

adj

1. not possessing the necessary ability, skill, etc to do or carry out a task; incapable

2. marked by lack of ability, skill, etc

3. (Law) law not legally qualified: an incompetent witness.

4. (Geological Science) (of rock strata, folds, etc) yielding readily to pressure so as to undergo structural deformation

an incompetent person

inˈcompetence, inˈcompetency n

inˈcompetently adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•com•pe•tent

(ɪnˈkɒm pɪ tənt)

adj.

1. lacking qualification or ability; incapable.

2. characterized by or showing incompetence.

3. not legally qualified.

4. an incompetent person, as one who is mentally deficient.

[1590–1600; < Late Latin]

in•com′pe•tent•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	incompetent - someone who is not competent to take effective action incompetent person unskilled person - a person who lacks technical training blunderer, botcher, bumbler, bungler, fumbler, sad sack, stumbler, butcher - someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence slouch - an incompetent person; usually used in negative constructions; "he's no slouch when it comes to baseball"
Adj.	1.	incompetent - legally not qualified or sufficient; "a wife is usually considered unqualified to testify against her husband"; "incompetent witnesses" unqualified law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" competent - legally qualified or sufficient; "a competent court"; "competent testimony"
	2.	incompetent - not qualified or suited for a purpose; "an incompetent secret service"; "the filming was hopeless incompetent" inefficient - not producing desired results; wasteful; "an inefficient campaign against drugs"; "outdated and inefficient design and methods" unqualified - not meeting the proper standards and requirements and training unskilled - not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency; "unskilled in the art of rhetoric"; "an enthusiastic but unskillful mountain climber"; "unskilled labor"; "workers in unskilled occupations are finding fewer and fewer job opportunities"; "unskilled workmanship" competent - properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient; "a competent typist"
	3.	incompetent - showing lack of skill or aptitude; "a bungling workman"; "did a clumsy job"; "his fumbling attempt to put up a shelf" bungling, fumbling, clumsy unskilled - not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency; "unskilled in the art of rhetoric"; "an enthusiastic but unskillful mountain climber"; "unskilled labor"; "workers in unskilled occupations are finding fewer and fewer job opportunities"; "unskilled workmanship"
	4.	incompetent - not doing a good job; "incompetent at chess" unskilled bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"
	5.	incompetent - not meeting requirements; "unequal to the demands put upon him" unequal to, incapable inadequate, unequal - lacking the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task; "inadequate training"; "the staff was inadequate"; "she was unequal to the task"

incompetent

adjective inept, useless, incapable, unable, cowboy (informal), floundering, bungling, unfit, unfitted, ineffectual, incapacitated, inexpert, skill-less, unskilful He wants the power to sack incompetent teachers.
able, fit, capable, expert, competent, skilful, proficient

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

incompetent

adjective

1. Lacking capability:

inadequate, incapable, unequal, unfit, unqualified.

2. Totally incapable of doing a job:

unable, unfit, unqualified.

3. Lacking the qualities, as efficiency or skill, required to produce desired results:

inapt, incapable, inefficient, inept, inexpert, unskilled, unskillful, unworkmanlike.

Translations

غَيْرُ كُفُؤٍغَيْر كُفء، لا دِرايَةَ لَهُ

neschopnýnezpůsobilý

udueliginkompetent

inkompetent unfähig unzulänglich

ανίκανος

incapaz incompetente

epäpätevävajaavaltainen

incompétent

nekompetentan

hozzáértõ: szakmailag nem hozzáértõszakmailag nem hozzáértõ

óhæfur

incompetente incompetenza

無能な

무능한

nekompetentingasnekompetentingumas

nekompetentsnemākulīgs

inkompetent

ไม่มีความสามารถ

yeteneksiz yetersiz

thiếu khả năng

不称职的不胜任的

incompetent

[ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt] ADJ

1. (= inept) [person] → incompetente; [attempt] → torpe; [work] → deficiente
he's incompetent → es un incompetente → es incompetente
he is incompetent at his job → es incompetente en su trabajo

2. (= unqualified) Lennox was declared incompetent (Jur) → a Lennox lo declararon incapacitado
he is incompetent to lead the party → no está capacitado para dirigir el partido, es incapaz de dirigir el partido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

incompetent

[ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt] adj [worker, official] → incompétent(e), incapable

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

incompetent

adj

person, institution → unfähig; (for sth) → untauglich; management → stümperhaft, inkompetent; piece of work → stümperhaft, unzulänglich; to be incompetent in business → nicht geschäftstüchtig sein; to be incompetent to teach music → unfähig sein, Musik zu unterrichten, zum Musiklehrer untauglich sein; I was incompetent at playing the piano or an incompetent pianist → ich konnte nur sehr schlecht Klavier spielen

(Jur) court, authority etc → unzuständig, nicht zuständig; (legally/mentally) incompetent (= not capable of contracting) → geschäftsunfähig

(Med) incompetent cervix → isthmozervikale Insuffizienz, Zervixinsuffizienz f

n → Nichtskönner(in) m(f)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

incompetent

[ɪnˈkɒmpɪt/ənt] adj (work) → da incompetenti; (person) incompetent (at) → incompetente (in fatto di)

incompetent

(inˈkompitənt) adjective

not good enough at doing a job etc. a very incompetent mechanic.

inˈcompetence noun

incompetent

→ غَيْرُ كُفُؤٍ neschopný uduelig unfähig ανίκανος incompetente epäpätevä incompétent nekompetentan incompetente 無能な 무능한 incompetent udugelig niekompetentny incompetente некомпетентный inkompetent ไม่มีความสามารถ yeteneksiz thiếu khả năng 不称职的

incompetent

a. incompetente, incapacitado-a.

incompetent

adj incompetente

References in classic literature ?

Crooks was taken ill, and in the morning was still more incompetent to travel.

View in context

Of modern standers-of-mast-heads we have but a lifeless set; mere stone, iron, and bronze men; who, though well capable of facing out a stiff gale, are still entirely incompetent to the business of singing out upon discovering any strange sight.

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It may well be conceived, what an unsavory odor such a mass must exhale; worse than an Assyrian city in the plague, when the living are incompetent to bury the departed.

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I flatter myself the progress already made will have sufficed to satisfy the candid and judicious part of the community that some of the objections which have been most strenuously urged against the Constitution, and which were most formidable in their first appearance, are not only destitute of substance, but if they had operated in the formation of the plan, would have rendered it incompetent to the great ends of public happiness and national prosperity.

View in context

The little white attic, which had continued her sleeping-room ever since her first entering the family, proving incompetent to suggest any reply, she had recourse, as soon as she was dressed, to another apartment more spacious and more meet for walking about in and thinking, and of which she had now for some time been almost equally mistress.

View in context

Philip, not knowing how many incompetent people have found solace in these false notes, was much impressed.

View in context

Stein, a traitor expelled from his own country; Armfeldt, a rake and an intriguer; Wintzingerode, a fugitive French subject; Bennigsen, rather more of a soldier than the others, but all the same an incompetent who was unable to do anything in 1807 and who should awaken terrible memories in the Emperor Alexander's mind....

View in context

Oh dear, she was incompetent! She had a face like a silkworm, and the dining-room reeks of orris-root.

View in context

Both Morpheus and the bird are incompetent witnesses; and your listener dare not attack your recital.

View in context

This land had been drained--to the huge discomfort of a colony of mosquitoes which had come to look on the place as their private property--and converted into links, which had become a sort of refuge for incompetent golfers.

View in context

By the slave code, they are adjudged to be as incompetent to testify against a white man, as though they were indeed a part of the brute creation.

View in context

Still her conscience was so tender that she even doubted the propriety of accepting her old wages were she really incompetent to earn them.