Meaning
- Incompetent means lacking the necessary skills, ability, or qualities to do something successfully.
- It often describes someone who is unqualified, incapable, or ineffective in performing tasks.
Grammar and Usage
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Part of speech: Adjective
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Common patterns:
- be incompetent at (doing) sth → He is incompetent at managing money.
- an incompetent + noun → an incompetent manager, an incompetent worker.
Common Phrases
- incompetent worker – someone unable to perform job duties well
- incompetent leadership – ineffective management
- grossly incompetent – extremely incapable
- found incompetent – legally judged unable to manage affairs
Collocations
- Verb + incompetent: consider incompetent, prove incompetent, find incompetent
- Adverb + incompetent: completely incompetent, utterly incompetent, grossly incompetent
- Incompetent + noun: incompetent doctor, incompetent staff, incompetent driver
Examples
- The manager was fired for being incompetent in handling the project.
- His driving was so incompetent that everyone felt unsafe.
- She was found incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness.
- The company collapsed under incompetent leadership.
- I think he is utterly incompetent at dealing with finances.
- The repair work was done by an incompetent mechanic.
- Their decision-making process was criticized as grossly incompetent.
Synonyms or Related
- incapable
- unqualified
- unskilled
- inept
- unfit
- inefficient
