ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsIinept
ISEE/SSAThard
inept
Meaning: lacking skill or ability to do something properly
inept in a sentence
How inept is used in real sentences:
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.
“Some fieldwork was inept, with poorly marked points and inconsistent measurements that encumbered negotiations by burdening them with fresh ambiguities.”
— from the passage Where the River Moved
Synonyms for inept
Other words for inept — incompetent, clumsy and bungling — carry the same meaning.
- incompetent
- clumsy
- bungling
Antonyms of inept
Words that mean the opposite of inept:
- skilled
- competent
Where it comes from
From Latin ineptus 'unsuitable, absurd'
Word parts
- in/im/ir — not, opposite
inept: in- (not) + apt (skilled) - apt/ept — fit or suited
inept: in- (not) + ept (suited)
Memory hook
IN-EPT — the opposite of ADEPT, so someone inept lacks skill.