INCAPABLE Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

incapable

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl

Definition of incapable

as in unfit

lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job hired a supremely incapable assistant who only made a mess of things

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of incapable For years, Vaccarello seemed incapable of missing, creating trends out of bomber jackets, punky ballgowns, androgynous tuxedos, sky-high heels and knee-length lace skirts. — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 Making a personnel change doesn’t mean the individual is incapable or without value. — Michael Londgren, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 And Rovell quickly discovered Kobe’s mind was incapable of idling, even during dead-of-night text exchanges. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026 The running game was incapable of generating chunk yards, and the passing game therefore lost the battle of numbers in the secondary. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incapable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable

Adjective

That’ll be particularly important after Paxton defeated Cornyn in a brutal primary where Senate Republicans and other Cornyn allies spent more than $90 million in his defense and attacked Paxton as unfit for office.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Separately, the Independent Football Regulator has the powers to force club owners to sell and can withhold a license to operate if they are deemed unfit.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfit

Adjective

Powell said Escobar showed up to Friday’s meeting on-duty, with his crew on a fire engine, and called some board members incompetent.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Court records obtained by CBS News Atlanta reveal that a judge declared 54-year-old Jonathan Hamby incompetent, putting him on a separate competency docket.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of incompetent

Adjective

Here, Rodel shares how to make the unfitted kitchen trend your own, one statement-worthy piece at a time.

— Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025
The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.

— Daniel Akst, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022

Definition of unfitted

Adjective

Patrick Bailey started the fifth with a chop that Rays starting pitcher Griffin Jax was unable to cleanly field.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Unanswered questions The Star has been unable to independently verify that the officer had a green light and the Audi ran the red light, or that the police cruiser had its lights and sirens on.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026