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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Recent Examples of unable
Data on how many of those belong to eligible voters is hard to come by, but CNN heard from more than a dozen voters who said they had been struck off the list and were unable to get back on due to unclear rules and reluctant local officials.
—
Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The audit further pointed out that more than 40,000 uncontested violations were never converted to citations within the court system, leaving the district unable to collect about $10 million in potential revenue.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
And with a 4-2 series loss, Denver was eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2022, a time when Murray was unable to play due to a torn ACL.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unable
Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The audit further pointed out that more than 40,000 uncontested violations were never converted to citations within the court system, leaving the district unable to collect about $10 million in potential revenue.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
And with a 4-2 series loss, Denver was eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2022, a time when Murray was unable to play due to a torn ACL.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unable
Adjective
-
In October, the judge found that Conner was mentally unfit to testify in person at trial and allowed the recorded testimony, even though defense attorneys will not be able to cross-examine him in front of the jury.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
4 May 2026
-
More than two years later, the trial concluded with 25 of 28 defendants being found guilty (of those not found guilty, two had died during the trial and another was declared mentally unfit for trial).—
USA Today,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
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The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.—
Daniel Akst,
WSJ,
2 Sep. 2022
Adjective
-
And these people in charge aren't just economically incompetent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
-
From an ideological standpoint, the new flag was introduced at the exact time the citizens of this state were just getting a grip on the outrageously incompetent management of the state’s money, dereliction that allowed billions of their tax dollars to be lost to fraud.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
In a rollicking monologue, Fry described all opera as comedy, tragedy merely being the result of idiotic egos incapable of levity.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
That means these kittens, in their very first hours and days of life, were physically incapable of generating their own heat.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unable. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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