noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The quality or degree of being inept. uncountable, usually

   "The ineptness of the novice jugglers was apparent as they frequently dropped their juggling pins."

2. 2
   the quality of having the wrong properties for a specific purpose wordnet
3. 3
   unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

awkwardnessineptitudeunsuitabilityawkwardnessclumsinessimpotence

Example

More examples

""Jerk" connotes an embarrassing social and verbal ineptness."

Etymology

From inept + -ness.

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