An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
incompetence
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for incompetence.
Editorial note
Unfortunately, the operators did make the situation worse but it was not due to stupidity or incompetence.
Quick take
An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of incompetence gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for incompetence.
noun
An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
Example sentences
Unfortunately, the operators did make the situation worse but it was not due to stupidity or incompetence.
What happens if incompetence, natural disaster or malicious actor disrupts the cooling ponds where radioactive waste products are stored?
Yep, the proud feeling about Berlin's grandiose track record when it comes to corruption and incompetence in major construction projects.
This can be a whole bunch of technical problems, or more likely incompetence with uploading it.
Would be curious to hear someone explain the regulation and high cost of entry outside of banking cartel and government incompetence.
We have solid reasons to be upset of the blatant incompetence of the nuclear sector.
We don't yet know that other companies weren't treated with similar incompetence.
It was hard to tell if it was incompetence or downright subversion.
I don't mean to attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence, I'm just saying it's a huge dick move regardless of whether they did it on purpose.
This mixture of vagueness > and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern > English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing.
As a rule, I try not to blame other people for my own incompetence.
[1] By that I mean an actual, hard-to-foresee mistake that no one else caught rather than just incompetence or lack of ability.
Quote examples
Anything that can be done to limit the damage of "ignorance and/or incompetence" is always a good thing.
Even with incompetence, you had to have actual engineers who looked at settings and/or lack of feedback and went "Hunh..."
Bavaria is a dream come true for corrupt politicians and their cronies ("Spezlwirtschoft"), but at least there is not as much staggering incompetence.
I still own Apple hardware; but caught between the scylla of Apple's incompetence and the charybdis of Google's obliviousness (if not outright evilness), I have renounced the "cloud".
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use incompetence in a sentence?
Unfortunately, the operators did make the situation worse but it was not due to stupidity or incompetence.
What does incompetence mean?
An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
What part of speech is incompetence?
incompetence is commonly used as noun.