INCAPACITIES Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

incapacity

noun

ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-tē

Definition of incapacity

as in inability

the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means her entrenched incapacity for decision-making doesn't make her a very good boss

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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 incapacity Many childless Americans also don't have plans in case of incapacity or death. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026 McCann Hess noted that many people are more likely to need a power of attorney than a will because incapacity can happen at any stage of life. — Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 It’s used in South Dakota to assist families with children who need financial support because of the death of a parent, an absent parent, or the unemployment or physical or mental incapacity of a parent. — Meghan O'Brien, States Newsroom, 14 July 2026 Under Missouri law, most mail ballots must be notarized before they can be counted, though voters casting absentee ballots for certain reasons, including incapacity, are exempt from that requirement. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for incapacity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacity

inability

Noun

Analysts blame the falloff on Converse’s inability to innovate and its overreliance on the Chuck Taylor model, Fortune’s Phil Wahba reports.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
This is what physicists call decoherence—the inability of many waves to show strong constructive interference.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026