inapt

[ in-apt ]

adjective

1. not apt or fitting.

   Synonyms: unsuited, inapposite, unfit, inappropriate, unsuitable

   Antonyms: appropriate

2. without aptitude or capacity.

   Synonyms: awkward, clumsy, incapable

   Antonyms: capable

inapt

/ ɪnˈæpt /

adjective

1. not apt or fitting; inappropriate
2. lacking skill; inept

Derived Forms

• inˈaptly, adverb
• inˈaptiˌtude, noun

Other Words From

• in·aptly adverb
• in·aptness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inapt¹

First recorded in 1735–45; in- ³ + apt

Example Sentences

After all, it’s a movie for which too much cleanup may be inapt.

From New York Times

It is also why Republicans continue to mock what they call the inaptly named Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in 2022 on strictly Democratic votes.

From New York Times

That was just one example in recent days of the Republicans’ clown car backfiring in the party’s bumbling drive to weaponize the government against political foes — the very crime it inaptly projects onto Democrats.

From Los Angeles Times

However inapt as drama, and however much real estate they steal from the development of a richer plot, such songs serve an important function, like the witty prose of the novel.

From New York Times

The mayoralty campaign that culminates Tuesday has featured, in Brandon Johnson, a comprehensively, almost exotically, inapt candidate.

From Washington Post