WordGarden.ioincompetence
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɪnkˈɒmpɪtəns/
US
- /ˌɪnˈkɑmpətəns/
Meanings
Noun
lack of ability or skill to do something successfully
lack of legal capacity or fitness to act
Beyond the definition
Imagine a chef trying to build a house: that is a pretty clear example of incompetence. It means not having the ability, knowledge, or skill needed to do something properly. It is more than making one mistake. It usually suggests a repeated failure because the person cannot do the job well enough. You might use it for a politician who handles an economic crisis badly, or for a mechanic who cannot manage a simple repair. Everyone makes mistakes, but this word points to a deeper lack of ability. It is often used in work or public situations where the failure is serious.
Incompetence is not simply about being bad at something; it points to a deeper lack of the ability, knowledge, judgment, or skill needed to do a task properly. Think of it as a gap between what a situation requires and what a person is able to do. It is usually not about one failure alone, but about repeated signs that someone cannot meet normal standards.
The word can be used for specific skills, such as someone being incompetent at repairing a car, and also for wider areas such as leadership, planning, or decision-making. A company may suffer from managerial incompetence if its leaders keep making poor choices. In some legal or medical contexts, related forms of the word have also been used for people judged unable to manage their own affairs, though that use depends heavily on context and system.
The word is often critical, but everyone has areas where they are not capable enough yet. Noticing those limits can be the first step toward learning or asking for help. Still, when incompetence leads to repeated failure or real harm, it can have serious effects in fields such as medicine, engineering, government, or public service. It is a strong word because it suggests not just weakness, but a risk of damage or bad outcomes.
Examples
- 1
Planning failures
The team kept missing deadlines because of incompetence in the planning stage.
- 2
Job consequences
He was fired for incompetence after months of basic mistakes.
- 3
Emergency response
The report accused local officials of incompetence during the emergency.
- Patternaccuse someone of + wrongdoing
say they are responsible for something bad
- 4
Public doubt
Many voters could not tell whether the delay was caused by incompetence or by corruption.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Serious failure
I can forgive one mistake, but not that level of incompetence.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- mismanagement
- bungling
- unfitness
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- professional incompetence
- gross incompetence
- managerial incompetence
- accused of incompetence
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- incompetencenoun