as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a celebrated author of serious plays, he turned out to be a particularly unable writer of comedies
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unable
Millie, who only qualifies for survivor benefits because the state regards her as unable to work.
—
Danilyn Rutherford, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
That tie was unable to hold though as Vancouver scored in the third period.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
For those unable to attend live, a recording of the webinar will be posted to the city’s website.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
If Dwight Powell is unable to play Friday against the Pelicans, the Mavericks may ask Edwards to man the middle again.
—Christian Clark, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unable
Danilyn Rutherford, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
That tie was unable to hold though as Vancouver scored in the third period.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
For those unable to attend live, a recording of the webinar will be posted to the city’s website.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
If Dwight Powell is unable to play Friday against the Pelicans, the Mavericks may ask Edwards to man the middle again.
—Christian Clark, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unable
Adjective
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Kash Patel is set to become the latest of President Donald Trump‘s unfit and unqualified loyalists confirmed for a leadership role in Washington, with Senate Republicans ready and willing to install the QAnon promoter and 2020 election denier as the next director of the FBI.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
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Her letter, which was followed up by a social media post, was withering in making the case that Kennedy was unfit for the role and personal in detailing his struggles with drug addiction.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans stand in solidarity, voting for incompetent Cabinet picks, while Democrats are barred from entering the U.S. Agency for International Development building, which Musk shut down.—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
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The difference in expertise is often shocking, which is one reason so many appeals cite incompetent representation.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Unsurprisingly, our hero is also incapable of speaking or thinking about subjects other than his own.—
Graham Hillard,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
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However, a hard truth for Elon Musk to face may be that X users are largely incapable of discerning facts without relying on traditional fact-checking organizations that Musk disagrees should be the sole arbiters of truth online.—
Ashley Belanger,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unable. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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