Inapplicability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of failing to be relevant or appropriate in a certain context
2. The state or quality of being irrelevant or not suitable for a particular situation
3. A condition where something does not fit or is not appropriate for the given context

Etymology: The word is built from "inapplicable," which is "in-" meaning "not" joined to "applicable," itself from "apply," and the suffix "-ity" that turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. So "inapplicability" names the condition of not being applicable: a rule that cannot be brought to bear on a case, or a remedy that does not fit the problem at hand. It came into English by way of French, where the matching noun "inapplicabilité" was formed from the same parts. English took the French form and kept its Latin-derived building blocks, so the word is less a native English coinage than a French loan that was assembled from familiar English-style pieces. Its sense stays close to the root idea of "applying" something to a situation. A law can be inapplicable to a particular dispute, or a skill inapplicable to a new field, and the noun names that mismatch as a property in its own right.

Synonyms: irrelevance, unsuitability

Antonyms: relevance, suitability