adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   One who is morally or mentally weak or inefficient; an imbecile; a simpleton. dated

Adjective

1. 1
   Not capable (of doing something); unable.

   "A pint glass is incapable of holding more than a pint of liquid."

2. 2
   Not in a state to receive; not receptive; not susceptible; not able to admit.

   "incapable of pain, or pleasure; incapable of stain or injury"

Adjective

1. 1
   not meeting requirements wordnet
2. 2
   (followed by ‘of’) lacking capacity or ability wordnet
3. 3
   (followed by ‘of’) not having the temperament or inclination for wordnet
4. 4
   not being susceptible to or admitting of something (usually followed by ‘of’) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

unableunequal toamputeebadcarelesscripple

Antonyms

All antonyms

capableskilled

Example

More examples

"Ostriches are incapable of flight."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French incapable, equivalent to in- + capable.

Related phrases

being unablecannot do

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.