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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of unable
That outcome is unlikely so long as bird flu remains unable to spread among people.
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Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
The Higher Education Licensure Commission, which oversees D.C., acknowledged Newsweek's request but was unable to respond to publication.
—Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
But only one restaurant, a Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Asheville, North Carolina, has been unable to reopen.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Windom, a United Airlines flight attendant, is unable to work for the foreseeable future so a GoFundMe page has been set up by her family to fundraise for medical and living expenses.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unable 
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
The Higher Education Licensure Commission, which oversees D.C., acknowledged Newsweek's request but was unable to respond to publication.
—Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
But only one restaurant, a Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Asheville, North Carolina, has been unable to reopen.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Windom, a United Airlines flight attendant, is unable to work for the foreseeable future so a GoFundMe page has been set up by her family to fundraise for medical and living expenses.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unable
Adjective
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But that also would mean keeping the grossly unfit Patel from being confirmed.Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
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In April, the indictment says, Feldstein failed a Shin Bet security-clearance check and was found unfit to handle highly classified material.Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The case was suspended earlier this year because the aging McCarrick was deemed incompetent to stand for trial.Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Robert Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times, Journal Sentinel, 12 Dec. 2024
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Trump's nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is saying that women are incompetent and that their presence in the military causes love triangles and drama.Tonya Mosley, NPR, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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In future cases, guardians will have to prove that a person is incapable of voting — not the other way around.Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 9 Dec. 2024
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Its own military is incapable of doing so—Iran specializes in irregular warfare and its conventional forces are weak and largely ineffective.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unable
Cite this Entry
“Unable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unable. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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