incompetent

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /ɪnˈkɑmpətənt/ UK /ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt/ See IPA manual

adj noun

Meanings

1

adj
lacking the skill or ability to do something successfully

The project failed under an incompetent manager.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking the skill or... inept unskilled incapable unqualified bungling inadequate

Opposites

competent capable skilled proficient qualified

Word family

Derived forms incompetentlyincompetence

Related forms competent competence compete

Etymology

From in- ('not') + competent, from Latin competens, present participle of competere ('to be suitable'), from com- ('together') + petere ('to seek').

competere Latin petere Latin *peth₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives

# incompetent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ɪnˈkɑmpətənt
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt

## Meanings
1. lacking the skill or ability to do something successfully

## Examples
- The project failed under an incompetent manager.

## Synonyms
- inept
- unskilled
- incapable
- unqualified
- bungling
- inadequate

## Antonyms
- competent
- capable
- skilled
- proficient
- qualified

## Derived Forms
- incompetently
- incompetence

## Related Forms
- competent
- competence
- compete

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: competere
- Root: petere
- Root: *peth₂-

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + competent, from Latin competens, present participle of competere ('to be suitable'), from com- ('together') + petere ('to seek').

## AI Etymology
Incompetent is from in- ('not') + competent, from Latin competens, present participle of competere ('to be suitable'), from com- ('together') + petere ('to seek'). Important recorded forms include competere (Latin), petere (Latin), and *peth₂- (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers lacking the skill or ability to do something successfully. The wider family includes derived forms such as incompetently and incompetence and related words such as competent, competence, and compete.

## Topics
- Describing People
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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