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
Wilson took umbrage with Moise framing her as unable to run her district — and balked at the idea that a congressional member should resign from their role if they’re considered too ill or too old.
—
Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
The city was unable to provide details on what types of activities were most commonly reported.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
Tribalism renders too many partisans unable to think ahead more than one election.
—Washington Post Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Petersen says all those concerns remain, while also claiming that Legends has even been unable to show his union the contract between itself and FIFA’s hospitality provider, OnLocation.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unable
Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
The city was unable to provide details on what types of activities were most commonly reported.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
Tribalism renders too many partisans unable to think ahead more than one election.
—Washington Post Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Petersen says all those concerns remain, while also claiming that Legends has even been unable to show his union the contract between itself and FIFA’s hospitality provider, OnLocation.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unable
Adjective
-
The unfit-father comedy was a staple, dating back to Three Men and a Baby being the highest-grossing movie of 1987.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
-
What should be used as a safeguard against an unfit or abusive president has instead become a routine mechanism for resolving political conflict.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 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
-
This approach seemed common when authorities were uninterested or incompetent.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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Court records from an earlier criminal case show Parker had previously been found mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered to a state hospital for treatment.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
This is an open society that the Islamic Republic of Iran is structurally incapable of being.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
27 May 2026
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Last season, when City won just 11 of 31 games in all competitions and often looked physically incapable of playing a full 90 minutes, Guardiola felt under pressure again.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unable. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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