inept

Examples

• All

• I mean, he is so inept and so bad at his job that he even takes it further.

• Of course I was totally socially inept.

  Guinevere (1999)

• Why are the English so inept in argument?

  Women in Love (1969)

• Because you run one of the more inept hospitals in all of southern California.

  House Calls (1978)

• We are either inept or the system's rigged.

  Rich Roll

• The military authorities seemed to me all through to have been more inept than it's possible to conceive.

• And anyone who's worked for the government knows how inept they are at keeping secrets or doing anything organized at such a level.

• Buckle views Philip III as a king as inept as his father was.

  Academic text (2004)

• York's criticism of their inept handling of the war against France led to his exclusion from court and transfer to Ireland.

• The most formidable criminal mind in Europe has just had all his money stolen by perhaps the most inept inspector in the history of Scotland Yard.

  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Synonyms

I

incompetent

vsinept

138 4.9

Not able to do a job or task well

often has sense of physical awkwardness rather than job failure

C

clumsy

vsinept

95 1.2

Moving in an awkward, unsteady way that causes accidents

also covers lack of broad skill or ability beyond physical movement

A

awkward

vsinept

37 3.0

Not graceful in movement or action

often implies lack of practical skill or clumsy physical movement

B

bumbling

vsinept

19 7.3

Acting awkward and clumsy in movement or when handling things

can be less about confusion and more about simple lack of skill

H

hopeless

vsinept

15 1.6

Not able to do something well

can instead imply awkward physical action rather than sheer failure

U

uncoordinated

vsinept

7 4.8

Not able to move with control so movements look clumsy

also applies to lack of skill in tasks beyond purely physical control

F

fumbling

vsinept

3 4.9

Doing things in an awkward, clumsy way

may further suggest overall lack of ability beyond momentary error

I

inapt

vsinept

• Formal

1 7.5

Not suitable and awkward when speaking or acting

more often describes poor skill or clumsy ability rather than wrong fit

I

inexpert

vsinept

1 6.5

Not skilled at a task or subject

is used more generally for clumsiness and wide incompetence

U

unskillful

vsinept

1 4.4

Not able to do something well

is more likely to suggest clumsiness or awkward physical action

U

unartful

vsinept

1 7.4

Has little skill and looks clumsy

tends to mean plain incompetence or physical awkwardness rather than craft

U

unhandy

vsinept

1 5.2

Clumsy with hands when doing simple tasks

covers broader awkwardness or inability, not only small hand tasks

Antonyms

C

competent

134 3.6

Able to do a job well because of skill and knowledge

A

adept

40 4.2

Able to do something well

S

skillful

30 2.8

Good at doing something because of practice and careful control

How Skilled

expert

165 3.5

adept

40 4.2

skilled

192 3.5

capable

885 1.4

inept

48 5.0

unskilled

4 2.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology