inept

Intermediatezipf 3.13

Pronunciation

/ɪˈnɛpt/(ih-NEPT)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

笨拙的；无能的（缺乏技巧或判断力）

Definition

Having or showing no skill; clumsy or incompetent.

Word family

  • ineptitude/ɪˈnɛptɪtjuːd/(n)无能
  • ineptly/ɪˈnɛptli/(adv)笨拙地

Collocations

  • socially inept
  • inept handling
  • politically inept
  • inept performance

Examples

  1. 1.His inept management led to the company's decline. (incompetent)
  2. 2.She felt socially inept at the networking event. (awkward)

Synonyms

  • incompetent/ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt/— lacking ability, stronger
  • clumsy/ˈklʌmzi/— physically awkward
  • unskilled/ʌnˈskɪld/— lacking training

Etymology

in- (not) + aptus (suitable/fit) — not apt, not fit for the task