Adjacent Words

Incompetence definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INCOM'PETENCE
INCOM'PETENCY, n.
1. Inability; want of sufficient intellectual powers or talents; as the incompetency of infants or idiots.
2. Want of natural adequate strength of body or of suitable faculties; as the incompetency of the eyes to discern the motions of the heavenly bodies.
3. Want of legal or constitutional qualifications; as the incompetency of a witness.
4. Want of adequate means.
5. Insufficiency; inadequacy; as the incompetency of testimony.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications [syn: incompetence, incompetency] [ant: competence, competency]
2: inability of a part or organ to function properly

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1663 the state or fact of being incompetent

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incompetence In*com"pe*tence, Incompetency In*com"pe*tency, n. [Cf. F. incomp['e]tence.] 1. The quality or state of being incompetent; want of physical, intellectual, or moral ability; insufficiency; inadequacy; as, the incompetency of a child hard labor, or of an idiot for intellectual efforts. ``Some inherent incompetency.'' --Gladstone. 2. (Law) Want of competency or legal fitness; incapacity; disqualification, as of a person to be heard as a witness, or to act as a juror, or of a judge to try a cause. Syn: Inability; insufficiency; inadequacy; disqualification; incapability; unfitness.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you refer to someone's incompetence, you are criticizing them because they are unable to do their job or a task properly. The incompetence of government officials is appalling. ? competence [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n.; (also incompetency) 1. Incapacity, inability. 2. Insufficiency, inadequacy. 3. Disqualification, unfitness.

Moby Thesaurus

ad lib, baseness, deficiency, disability, disablement, disqualification, extemporaneousness, failure, falling short, faultiness, fewness, imbecility, imperfection, improvisation, inability, inadeptness, inadequacy, inadequateness, inaptitude, inaptness, inattentiveness, incapability, incapacitation, incapacity, incompetency, indexterity, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, inefficiency, ineptitude, ineptness, infancy, inferiority, insufficiency, insufficientness, lack of preparation, legal incapacity, littleness, maladjustment, maladroitness, meanness, mediocrity, minority, none to spare, nonfulfillment, nonpreparation, nonpreparedness, nonsatisfaction, pedestrianism, pettiness, planlessness, rustiness, shabbiness, short supply, skill-lessness, smallness, subnormality, thoughtlessness, too late, too little, triviality, unaptness, uncleverness, undeftness, undexterousness, undextrousness, unfitness, unfittedness, unintelligence, unpreparedness, unproficiency, unqualification, unqualifiedness, unreadiness, unschooledness, unskillfulness, unsuitability, unsuitableness, unsuitedness, untrainedness, uselessness, vulgarity, vulnerability, wardship