ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›I›inept
ISEE/SSAThard
inept
lacking skill or ability to do something properly
Synonyms
- incompetent
- clumsy
- bungling
Antonyms
- skilled
- competent
inept in a sentence
The new intern felt inept the first week, unsure how to use the office printer.
During the cooking competition, the inept contestant burned the sauce twice and forgot to season the chicken entirely.
Where it comes from
From Latin ineptus 'unsuitable, absurd'
Memory hook
IN-EPT — the opposite of ADEPT, so someone inept lacks skill.
Word parts
- in/im/ir — not, opposite
inept: in- (not) + apt (skilled)
Read it in context
- Where the River Moved History