# incompetent
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from French incompétent, from Late Latin incompetentem, from Latin incompetēns, equivalent to in- +‎ competent.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/
* Hyphenation: in‧com‧pe‧tent
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

### Adjective

incompetent (comparative more incompetent, superlative most incompetent)
* Lacking the degree of ability and responsibility necessary to do a task successfully.
    Synonyms: noncompetent, uncompetent, inept; see also Thesaurus:bad
    Antonyms: competent, capable, able; see also Thesaurus:skilled
    Hyponyms: (usually hyponymous) unskilled, unskillful, untalented, inexperienced, nonexperienced, unexperienced
    Near-synonyms: incapable, inable, unable
    Having an incompetent lawyer may be grounds for a retrial, but the lawyer in question probably doesn't know that.
** 2009 January 8, Nicholas D. Kristof, “The Gaza Boomerang”, in The New York Times‎:Many Gazans scorn Fatah as corrupt and incompetent, and they dislike Hamas's overzealousness and repression.
** Unable to make rational decisions; insane or otherwise cognitively impaired.
    The charged was judged incompetent to stand trial, at least until his medication started working.
** (medicine, of the cervix) Opening too early during pregnancy, resulting in miscarriage or premature birth.
    Near-synonyms: dysfunctional, nonfunctioning
** (geology) Not resistant to deformation or flow.

#### Derived terms

* incompetently (adverb)
* non-incompetent

#### Related terms

* incompetence
* incompetency

#### Translations
### Noun

incompetent (plural incompetents)
* A person who is incompetent.
** 1915, Henry Smith Williams, Edward Huntington Williams, Modern Warfare, page 11:But besides these incompetents, there was always a train of camp followers, —women who followed the camp, beggars, and criminals, whose number was often greater than the number of fighting soldiers.
** 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 34:"Lies!" said the tallest of the sons of Ivaldi. "I wouldn't trust those fumble-fingered incompetents to shoe a horse."

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incompetentem. First attested in 1696.

### Adjective

incompetent m or f (masculine and feminine plural incompetents)
* incompetent
    Antonym: competent

#### Related terms

* incompetència

### References

* ↑ “incompetent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

### Further reading

* “incompetent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “incompetent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “incompetent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Dutch
### Etymology

Likely borrowed, ultimately from Latin incompetēns. Equivalent to in- +‎ .

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌɪŋ.kɔm.pəˈtɛnt/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: in‧com‧pe‧tent
* Rhymes: -ɛnt

### Adjective

incompetent (comparative incompetenter, superlative incompetentst)
* incompetent

#### Related terms

* incompetentie

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin incompetēns.

### Adjective

incompetent m (feminine singular incompetenta, masculine plural incompetents, feminine plural incompetentas)
* incompetent
    Antonym: competent

#### Related terms

* incompeténcia

### Further reading

* Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎, 2 edition, →ISBN, page 560.
* Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 339.

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French incompétent. Equivalent to in- +‎ competent.

### Adjective

incompetent m or n (feminine singular incompetentă, masculine plural incompetenți, feminine and neuter plural incompetente)
* incompetent