inept

[ in-ept, ih-nept ]

adjective

1. without skill or aptitude for a particular task or assignment; maladroit:

   He is inept at mechanical tasks. She is inept at dealing with people.

   Synonyms: unskillful

   Antonyms: suited

2. generally awkward or clumsy; haplessly incompetent.
3. inappropriate; unsuitable; out of place.
4. absurd or foolish:

   an inept remark.

   Synonyms: inane, pointless, stupid

inept

/ ɪnˈɛpt /

adjective

1. awkward, clumsy, or incompetent
2. not suitable, appropriate, or fitting; out of place

Derived Forms

• inˈeptly, adverb
• inˈeptiˌtude, noun
• inˈeptness, noun

Other Words From

• in·ept·ly adverb
• in·ept·ness in·ept·i·tude noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inept¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ineptus, equivalent to in- in- ³ + -eptus, combining form of aptus apt

Word History and Origins

Origin of inept¹

C17: from Latin ineptus, from in- ¹+ aptus fitting, suitable

Example Sentences

New England is similarly inept, so this one across the pond stays close.

From Los Angeles Times

Interviews with swing voters conducted by major news outlets reveal their disquiet: their belief that whoever prevails this November will not improve their lives and that Washington, D.C. is corrupt and inept.

From Salon

Since one narrow election victory back in 1992, he has shrugged off subsequent political challenges, helped perhaps by manipulation of the polls and certainly by the divisions among often tactically inept opponents.

From BBC

“The inept and failed policies of the Harris-Biden Administration have enabled the Iranian-backed proxies that have sewn a path of death and destruction, resulting in catastrophic global ramifications,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Moreover, the royal chartered companies — British, Dutch and French — that by then ran those empires were proving ever less capable of effective colonial rule and increasingly inept at producing profits.

From Salon

Related Words

• awkward
• bumbling
• incompetent
• inefficient