VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/incapable

⇱ incapable - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

incapable

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(in kā′pə bəl)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•ca•pa•ble /ɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. not having the necessary ability, qualification, or strength to perform some function:[be + ~ + of]incapable of doing such a difficult thing.
  2. lacking ordinary capability; incompetent:incapable management.
in•ca•pa•bil•i•ty /ɪnˌkeɪpəˈbɪlɪti/USA pronunciation  n. [uncountable]
in•ca•pa•bly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•ca•pa•ble  (in kā′pə bəl),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. not capable.
  2. not having the necessary ability, qualification, or strength to perform some specified act or function:As an administrator, he is simply incapable.
  3. without ordinary capability;
    incompetent.
  4. Idioms incapable of:
    • not having the ability, qualification, or strength for (a specified act or function).
    • not open to;
      not susceptible to or admitting:These materials are incapable of exact measurement.
    • Lawlegally unqualified for.

n. 
  1. a thoroughly incompetent person, esp. one of defective mentality.
  • Late Latin incapābilis. See in-3, capable
  • 1585–95
in•ca′pa•bil′i•ty, in•ca′pa•ble•ness, n. 
in•ca′pa•bly, adv. 
    1. Incapable, incompetent, inefficient, unable are applied to a person or thing that is lacking in ability, preparation, or power for whatever is to be done. Incapable usually means inherently lacking in ability or power:incapable of appreciating music; a bridge incapable of carrying heavy loads.Incompetent, generally used only of persons, means unfit or unqualified for a particular task:incompetent as an administrator.Inefficient means wasteful in the use of effort or power:an inefficient manager; inefficient methods.Unable usually refers to a temporary condition of inability to do some specific thing:unable to relax, to go to a concert. 2. impotent, unqualified.
    1. able.
'incapable' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "incapable" in the title:

a sense of being incapable of care
determining who might be incapable of handling the ambiguit
feel like being incapable of love
Flightless vs incapable of flying
He was constitutionally incapable of dealing with conflict.
However, most of them lack ... and <they?> are incapable
I am incapable of taking any other
incapable now of deriving from any occurrence a hope of aid
incapable of
Incapable <of>
incapable of singing and dancing
incapable of the only alternative
incapable of valuing two children <more than> either child alone
"incapable" or "unwilling" to use...
incapable vs uncapable
incompetent or incapable
make it incapable?
must be incapable of teaching error
of an existence whose...I was becoming incapable of appreciating
untrained/incapable
wasn´t able/was unable/wasn´t capable of/was incapable of
Who/whom: ... denounced by all <?> age, stupidity, or jealousy rendered incapable, as degenerates.
would have been incapable/was incapable

Look up "incapable" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "incapable" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.