ineptitude

UK/ɪˈnɛp.tɪ.tjud/US/ɪˈnɛp.tɪ.t(j)ud/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,940 of 15,258neutral

Ineptitude is a hopeless lack of skill. Sheer ineptitude, political ineptitude, breathtaking ineptitude.

It is stronger than incompetence in tone because it sounds like a judgement on the person rather than the work. The Latin behind ineptitude means unsuited, so the fault was first a matter of not fitting the task.

Definitions of ineptitude

1nounineptitudeA hopeless lack of skill.C1
“The ineptitude of the builders meant the roof leaked from the very first day.”

ineptitude is an incompetence.

Where it comes from

Latin ineptitudo comes from ineptus, unsuited, from in- plus aptus, fitted.

Latin
ineptitūdō
English, today
ineptitude

From Latin ineptitūdō. by surface analysis, inept + -itude.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

ineptitude in the wild

Incompetence is the inability to perform; lack of competence; ineptitude.
Incompetence (disambiguation)
Virginia Fox, a pretty elite equestrian, is an unwitting victim of his ineptitude.
The Blacksmith
The story of both films involves a married couple moving into a new home and enduring the ineptitude of removal men.
It's Your Move (1982 film)
Typically, Jones also played bass in the studio, rather than suffer the ineptitude of the band's official bassist, Sid Vicious.
Silly Thing
Other internal problems arose from the diverse resources of the member organizations; others were the result of ineptitude.
Maritime Art Association

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

inept

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