1
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a well-meaning but inept assistant who can't seem to keep appointments straight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an inept comparison between nursing-home residents and day-care children that many found offensive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
an inept effort to become friends with their future son-in-law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
she offers one inept suggestion after another for saving the parish church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inept
Frazzled, awkward, and inept, Jones was funny and endearingly relatable.
—
airmail.news, 8 Feb. 2025
Putting America first means getting off the grid and cutting ties with both foreign energy suppliers and inept—and often-woke—corporations.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
In 2019, Kim Darroch, then the British Ambassador to the U.S., was forced to resign after his diplomatic cables about the first Trump Administration—describing it as clumsy and inept—were leaked to the press.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
That didn't happen, though, thanks to special teams that were largely inept, critical turnovers from the offense and a defense that melted down late.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
airmail.news, 8 Feb. 2025
Putting America first means getting off the grid and cutting ties with both foreign energy suppliers and inept—and often-woke—corporations.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
In 2019, Kim Darroch, then the British Ambassador to the U.S., was forced to resign after his diplomatic cables about the first Trump Administration—describing it as clumsy and inept—were leaked to the press.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
That didn't happen, though, thanks to special teams that were largely inept, critical turnovers from the offense and a defense that melted down late.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inept
Adjective
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Anyone can file a petition in probate court in Florida seeking to declare an adult incompetent to handle their own affairs, though, typically, such petitions are submitted by family members worried their elderly relatives can no longer care for themselves.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2025
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But Marshall can’t do it alone and teams up with his former high school lab partner Frances Applewhite (voiced by Emily Pendergast), who works for a sinking pharmaceutical company as the assistant to incompetent CEO Rick Kruger (voiced by executive producer Mike Judge).—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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While booting a car may be an appropriate remedy to curb parking violations, booting a car that also immobilizes other non-offending vehicles is inappropriate.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Doing so discourages inappropriate behavior with clear sanctions that are duly communicated to the entire organization, while good behavior is rewarded.—
Susana Sierra,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The character first appears in the franchise’s original film Scream (1996) as the older brother of Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and the clumsy police deputy trying to help solve the murders in their town of Woodsboro.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
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Aviles’ dismissal, for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the penalty area, seemed set to turn the game.—
Martin Rogers,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Thank you Hallie for thinking of me and putting my name in your stupid brother's ear.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
24 Feb. 2025
-
That would have been a stupid question just about anywhere else, but the exhibition was by Laura Owens, a painter with a penchant for trickery, and the venue was Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, whose press release for Owens’s latest outing offered little in the way of explanation.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Kash Patel is set to become the latest of President Donald Trump‘s unfit and unqualified loyalists confirmed for a leadership role in Washington, with Senate Republicans ready and willing to install the QAnon promoter and 2020 election denier as the next director of the FBI.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
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Her letter, which was followed up by a social media post, was withering in making the case that Kennedy was unfit for the role and personal in detailing his struggles with drug addiction.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Polar research and expeditions were considered inherently masculine endeavors unsuitable for women during the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, which began in 1897 and lasted until 1922.—
Nicole Edenedo,
AFAR Media,
3 Mar. 2025
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When the wildly unsuitable secretary of defense announces there will be 8% cuts in our military budget for each of the next five years, some weapons programs will be reduced or cancelled to meet that goal.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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However, whether the friendship will survive the awkward gift exchange remains to be seen.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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When Anne Hathaway co-hosted the ceremony with James Franco in 2012, it was widely panned as the Academy's awkward attempt to attract younger viewers.—
Lucia Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Peter, though revered as an apostle worthy of veneration, is also portrayed in the Gospels as prone to mistakes, often foolish, and sometimes outright contradictory to God’s will.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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The notion that women should be flawless multitaskers, managing a perfect home and career while never showing vulnerability or weakness is not only unrealistic, but also foolish.—
Nicole Lipkin,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inept. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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