Incompetent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/

Definitions

1. Lacking the necessary skill, ability, or qualification to perform a task or fulfill a role effectively
2. Failing to possess the essential skills or knowledge needed to carry out a particular role or task effectively
3. Not having the required competence, capability, or expertise to execute a job or task satisfactorily

Etymology: "Incompetent" is built from "in-", meaning "not", and "competent", so its basic sense is simply "not competent." The English word "competent" came first, borrowed from French and ultimately from Latin "competere," "to be suitable, to coincide, to meet together," a verb whose core idea was things converging or fitting together. A competent person was one whose abilities fit the task at hand, and "incompetent" is the negation of that fit. The word was borrowed from French "incompétent," which descends from Late Latin "incompetentem" and the classical Latin "incompetēns." Its meaning in English has stayed close to the original idea of lacking the qualifications or capacity for a job, though it is also used in a legal sense of a person or court judged unable to act. The word is a straightforward formation: a negative prefix attached to a word that already carried the sense of fitness and suitability.

Synonyms: inept, unskilled, incapable, unqualified, ineffective

Antonyms: competent, skilled, capable, qualified, effective