The meaning of INCOMPETENT is lacking the qualities needed for effective action : lacking necessary ability or skills. How to use incompetent in a sentence.

INCOMPETENT definition: not competent; lacking qualification or ability; incapable. See examples of incompetent used in a sentence.

Inadequate for or unsuited to a particular purpose or application: "Because so many diseases fluctuate randomly over time, patients sometimes spontaneously improve despite incompetent treatment" …

They are incompetent, from extreme ignorance or vicious habits, to the performance of the most ordinary duties of social life.

If you describe someone as incompetent, you are criticizing them because they are unable to do their job or a task properly.

Definition of incompetent adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

A management that is rigid and distant from its employees can cause inefficiencies that lead to incompetence Incompetence is the inability to perform expected tasks or duties. More generally, it is …

Dec 11, 2025 · Unable to make rational decisions; insane or otherwise cognitively impaired. The charged was judged incompetent to stand trial, at least until his medication started working. …

in•com•pe•tent /ɪnˈkɑmpɪtənt/ adj. lacking qualification or ability; incapable: incompetent to do that work. Law not legally qualified: incompetent to stand trial. n. [countable] an incompetent person, as one …

There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the word incompetent, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.