as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
her entrenched incapacity for decision-making doesn't make her a very good boss
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Recent Examples of incapacity
Days later, Westcott attempted to rescind the deal, citing his mental incapacity.
—
Charmaine Patterson, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Yet in the end, the BRICS’ joint statement, published several days after the bombing, was remarkably vague, failing even to mention Israel or the United States, revealing the grouping’s incapacity to speak with one voice.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
The problem, in other words, is not fiscal incapacity but political choice.
—James Sample, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
As the world becomes ever more complex, apparently the list of individual incapacities has grown.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacity
Charmaine Patterson, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Yet in the end, the BRICS’ joint statement, published several days after the bombing, was remarkably vague, failing even to mention Israel or the United States, revealing the grouping’s incapacity to speak with one voice.
—Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
The problem, in other words, is not fiscal incapacity but political choice.
—James Sample, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
As the world becomes ever more complex, apparently the list of individual incapacities has grown.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacity
inability
Noun
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Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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When their inability to compromise led to a government shutdown in 2011, Standard & Poor’s downgraded this country’s debt from AAA to AA for the first time in roughly a century.—
Stu Strumwasser,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacity. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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