Meanings
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1
adj
not qualified or permitted to be chosen, receive something, or take part
Employees of the organizer are ineligible to enter the competition.
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2
adj
dated: unsuitable or undesirable as a choice, especially for marriage, residence, or appointment
The damp and isolated house was considered an ineligible residence.
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3
noun
a person who is not eligible
The policy divides applicants into eligibles and ineligibles.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From French ineligible, formed from in- ('not') plus eligible, ultimately Latin eligere ('to choose, select'). Alongside the modern rule-based sense, nineteenth-century English also used it for a person, place, or option judged unsuitable or undesirable.