Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Incapable |
IncapableAdjective1. (followed by `of') lacking capacity or ability; "incapable of carrying a tune"; "he is incapable of understanding the matter"; "incapable of doing the work". 2. Not being susceptible to or admitting of something (usually followed by `of)'; "incapable of solution". 3. Lacking the necessary skill or knowledge etc.; "an incapable helper". 4. (followed by `of') not having the temperament or inclination for; "simply incapable of lying". 5. Not meeting requirements; "unequal to the demands put upon him". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "incapable" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1588. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Multilingual Slang | Greek (malakas). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: IncapableSynonyms: incapable(p) (adj), incompetent (adj), unequal to(p) (adj), unqualified (adj). (additional references) |
| Antonym: capable (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Impotence | Adjective: powerless, impotent, unable, incapable, incompetent; inefficient, ineffective; inept; unfit, unfitted; unqualified, disqualified; unendowed; inapt, unapt; crippled, disabled; Verb: armless. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Incapable |
| Specialty definitions using "incapable": abutment pillars ♦ bitty box, BLAB ♦ Clonal Anergy, commission of a criminal act while in a state of voluntarily-induced mental incapacity ♦ Embalm, Erythrocyte Aging ♦ Fence, flint mill, forcible indecency ♦ Gonadal Dysgenesis, 46,XY ♦ indecent assault, intrinsic safety, intrinsically safe apparatus, intrinsically safe circuit ♦ Legal Guardians, low-freezing dynamites ♦ metastable, monosyllabic ♦ Nabal, noncommercial forest land, non-polar ♦ obligate parasite ♦ Prisoner of Bill ♦ sexual duress, speech clinician, SPEECH PATHOLOGIST, speech therapis, Sterilization, Sexual, subsonic aeroplane ♦ tights. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "incapable": Utterless. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Incapable" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. French (feckless, helpless, inadequate, incapable, incapacitated, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I'm incapable of small talk (Jerry Maguire; writing credit: Cameron Crowe) They're incapable of thinking beyond what they want at that moment (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer) You're incapable of exciting me Steel except as an anthropological curiosity (Day of the Dead; writing credit: George A. Romero) We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error (2001: A Space Odyssey; writing credit: Stanley Kubrick; Arthur C. Clarke) Why do you assume I'm completely incapable of understanding anything technical (Press Gang; writing credit: Steven Moffat) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Author | Quotation |
Francois De La Rochefoucauld | Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness. |
George Bernard Shaw | If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience! |
Jean de La Bruyere | This great misfortune -- to be incapable of solitude. |
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu | I sometimes give myself admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it. |
Lavater | He is incapable of a truly good action who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others. |
Lord Chesterfield | Little vicious minds abound with anger and revenge, and are incapable of feeling the pleasure of forgiving their enemies. |
| Little, vicious minds abound with anger and revenge, and are incapable of feeling the pleasure of forgiving their enemies. | |
Norman Mailer | Left-wingers are incapable of conspiring because they are all egomaniacs. |
Oscar Wilde | Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | Paternal power is only where minority makes the child incapable to manage his property; political, where men have property in their own disposal; and despotical, over such as have no property at all. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Declaration of Independence | 1776 | He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. (reference) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | The Secretary of State, being a person holding an office under the authority of the United States, is precisely within the letter of the description; and if this court is not authorized to issue a writ of mandamus to such an officer, it must be because the law is unconstitutional, and therefore incapable of conferring the authority, and assigning the duties which its words purport to confer and assign. (reference) |
Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 | In Sweatt v. Painter, supra, in finding that a segregated law school for Negroes could not provide them equal educational opportunities, this Court relied in large part on "those qualities which are incapable of objective measurement but which make for greatness in a law school." (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Not seldom, she would laugh anew, and louder than before, like a thing incapable and unintelligent of human sorrow |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | There he was, almost incapable of reflection and motion, as if annihilated by such horrible things in so close proximity |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Gradually, and without discomfort, bone loss leads to a weakened skeleton incapable of supporting your normal daily activities. (references) | |
Children | Sierra Leone | Locating the families of released child combatants often was difficult, and some did not want to assume responsibility for their children, some of whom were mentally and emotionally incapable of rejoining their families. (references) |
Taiwan | If children are engaged in prostitution of their "own free will," and the parents are incapable of providing safe custody, the courts may order competent authorities to provide counseling for not less than 6 months and not more than 2 years. (references) | |
Economic History | Korea | The country is moving to expand airports that are currently incapable of handling ever-growing air traffic. (references) |
Human Rights | Switzerland | In 1981 the Swiss Academy for Medical Science decided that forced sterilization is not permissible if a person is incapable of understanding the consequences. (references) |
Cuba | Opposition groups rejected this accusation because following a 1999 attack, del Pino's state of health had deteriorated to the point where she physically would be incapable of committing such an act. (references) | |
Political Economy | Nigeria | The judicial system often was incapable of providing criminal suspects with speedy and fair trials. (references) |
Political Rights | Macedonia | Claiming that the Government was incapable of conducting a fair vote in the contested precincts, the SDSM later withdrew those complaints and did not press for another repeat of the voting. (references) |
Women | Thailand | According to academics and women's rights activists, rapes and domestic assaults are underreported, in part because law enforcement agencies widely are perceived to be incapable of bringing perpetrators to justice. (references) |
Worker Rights | Nepal | Government welfare agencies generally are incapable of delivering effective public outreach programs or assistance to trafficking victims. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | EMBALM, v.i. To cheat vegetation by locking up the gases upon which it feeds. By embalming their dead and thereby deranging the natural balance between animal and vegetable life, the Egyptians made their once fertile and populous country barren and incapable of supporting more than a meagre crew. The modern metallic burial casket is a step in the same direction, and many a dead man who ought now to be ornamenting his neighbor's lawn as a tree, or enriching his table as a bunch of radishes, is doomed to a long inutility. We shall get him after awhile if we are spared, but in the meantime the violet and rose are languishing for a nibble at his glutoeus maximus. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Incapable" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.76% of the time. "Incapable" is used about 846 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 99.76% | 844 | 8,337 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.24% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 846 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "incapable": act incapable ♦ drunk and incapable ♦ incapable drunk ♦ incapable of doing ♦ incapable of proof ♦ incapable of working ♦ incapable person ♦ legally incapable. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
incapable | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "incapable"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i pazoti (helpless, inapt, inartful, incompetent, unable, washed up), i paaftë (bumbling, disabled, guiltless, helpless, impaired, impotent, inapt, incompetent, inefficient, inept, muff, spado, unable, unskilful, weak). (various references) | |
Arabic | غير قادر (unable, unequal), غير قابل ل, عاجز (decrepit, disabled, effete, feckless, helpless, incompetent, ineffective, inert, infirm, invalid, paralysed, paralyzed, poor, powerless, unable). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | неспособен (disabled, inapt, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, inept, unapt, unfit), некадърник (bungler, dud, duffer, flop, lightweight, mutt, no good, sad sack, washout), некадърен (dismal, dud, feckless, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, shiftless, wet, worthless), неправоспособен (disqualified, incompetent), пиян (cockeyed, drunk, drunken, inebriate, intoxicated, jagged, juiced, lit, loaded, pickled, pie-eyed, pixilated, plastered, queer, ripe, screwed, screwy, shot, slaughtered, soused, stoned, tanked, tight, under the table, wet). (various references) | |
Chinese | 無能 (inability, powerless), 無法 (unable), 不能胜任. (various references) | |
Czech | nezpùsobilý (incompetent, unfit), neschopný (bungling, disabled, inadequate, inapt, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, powerless, shiftless, unable, unfit, unworthy, useless). (various references) | |
Danish | uduelig, evneløs. (various references) | |
Dutch | ongeschikt (inconvenient, unfit, unsuitable), onbekwaam. (various references) | |
Farsi | محجور (Insolvent, Ward), نفهم (Hick, Stupid), نالایق (Incompetent, Infelicitous, Unworthy, Villainous), ناقابل (Bagatelle, Inconsiderable, Trifle, Trivial), ناتوان (Impotent, Infirm, Invalid, Unable), عاجز (Cripple, Determinant, Septum, Unable), بیعرضه . (various references) | |
Finnish | kykenemätön (incapacitated, incompetent, unable). (various references) | |
French | incapable (inadequate, incapacitated, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient), inapte (inapt). (various references) | |
German | unfähig (bungling, impotent, impotently, incapably, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectively, inefficient, unable, unfit). (various references) | |
Greek | ανίκανος (helpless, incompetent, inept, powerless). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לא מסוגל (unequal), לא יכול, נעדר יכולת (unable). (various references) | |
Hungarian | tehetetlen (dud, feckless, helpless, impotent, nerveless, powerless, shiftless, sluggish, wimpy). (various references) | |
Indonesian | tidak mampu. (various references) | |
Italian | incapace (disabled, dud, inapt, incapable person, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, maladjusted, shiftless, unable, unfit, useless). (various references) | |
Korean | 불능한. (various references) | |
Manx | neufondagh (ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient, infirm, insolvent, insubstantial, insufficient, unbusinesslike), neuchummeydagh (formless, incompetent, inelegant, shapeless). (various references) | |
Norwegian | uskikket (incompetent). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | incapableay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | incapaz (disabled, effete, forceless, impotent, impoverished, inapt, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, inept, insusceptible, powerless, unable, unapt, unfit, unsusceptible), inapto (inapt, unapt, unfit, unmeet, unqualified, unsuitable, useless). (various references) | |
Romanian | incapabil (effete, feckless, impotent, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient, insufficient, shiftless, unable, unapt, unequal, unfit), neputincios (helpless, impotent, impuissant, infirm, limp, nerveless, palsied, shiftless, silly, slight), nepriceput (blockhead, illiterate, inefficient, inexperienced, inexpert, novice, silly, slouch, unskilful, unskilled), nepotrivit (awkward, bad, discordant, dissonant, ill-matched, ill-sorted, improper, inadequate, inapposite, inappropriate, inapt, incongruous, inconsistent, incorrect, ineligible, inept, inexpedient, infelicitous, inopportune, insufficient, intrusive, irrelevant, malapropos, misbecoming, off color, off colour, out of character, out of date, out of point, timeless, unapt, unbecoming, uncalled for, uncomely, undue, unequal, unfit, unmeet, unseasonable, untimely, unwarranted). (various references) | |
Russian | неспособный (incompetent, inefficient, unable, unapt). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | nesposoban (incapacious, incompetent, ineffective, ineffectual, unable, unfit). (various references) | |
Spanish | incapaz (helpless, inefficient, lame, lame brain, unable, unfit). (various references) | |
Swedish | oförmögen (unable), oduglig (disabled, dud, good for nothing, inapt, incompetent, ineffective, inefficient, unfit, unqualified, unsuitable, useless). (various references) | |
Thai | ซึ่งไม่สามารถพอ. (various references) | |
Turkish | yetersiz (defective, deficient, disqualified, exiguous, half-way, handicapped, inadequate, incommensurate, incompetent, inconclusive, inefficient, ineligible, insufficient, meager, meagre, poorly, powerless, scant, scanty, scrimp, scrimpy, shoestring, short, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, unequal, unfit, unqualified, unsatisfactory, unsatisfied, unsatisfying), kabiliyetsiz (ineffective, talentless, unendowed, untalented), elverişsiz (disabled, disadvantageous, inadequate, inconvenient, ineligible, insusceptible, unfavorable, unfavourable, unfit, unhandy, unpropitious, unsuitable, unsuited), elinden gelmez (incapable of doing, resourceless, unable), ehliyetsiz (disabled, inefficient, insufficient, unqualified), aciz (cheap, feckless, helpless, impotent, ineffectual, powerless, unable, weak). (various references) | |
Turkmen | bigaяrat. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | нездатний (inefficient, unable, unfit), неправоздатний. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | không đủ khả năng, bất tài (deficient, incapably, talentless, untalented). (various references) | |
Welsh | analluog (unable). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Avestan | 200-600 | everezike. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "incapable": incapableness, incapablenesses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Incapable" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: icapable, incapeable, incapible, inhalable, invadable, uncopiable, uncopyable. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "incapable" (pronounced i'nkā"pubul) |
| 7 | -k ā" p u b u l | inescapable, capable. |
| 5 | -p u b u l | culpable, developable, palpable, typeable, unflappable, unstoppable. |
| 4 | -u b u l | incurable, indefatigable, indefensible, indefinable, indelible, indescribable, indestructible, indispensable, indisputable, indistinguishable, indivisible, indomitable, inedible, ineffable, ineligible, inequitable, inevitable, inexcusable, inexhaustible, inexorable, inexplicable, infallible, infeasible, inflammable, inflatable, acceptable, accessible, abominable, accountable, achievable, actionable, adaptable, addressable, adjustable, admirable, admissible, adoptable, adorable, advisable, affable, affordable, agreeable, allowable, amenable, amendable, amiable, amicable, analyzable, answerable, appealable, applicable, appreciable, approachable, approvable, arable, arguable, attainable, attributable, audible, available, avoidable, bankable, bearable, believable, billable, biodegradable, breakable, buildable, burnable, callable, cannibal, changeable, chargeable, charitable, classifiable, collapsible, collectible, Combinable, comfortable, commendable, communicable, comparable, compatible, compensable, comprehensible, conceivable, confirmable, considerable, constable, consumable, contemptible, contestable, controllable, convertible, copyrightable, countable, credible, creditable, crucible, curable, debatable, deductible, defensible, definable, degradable, delectable, deliverable, demonstrable, dependable, deplorable, deployable, depreciable, describable, desirable, despicable, detachable, detectable, determinable, digestible, disagreeable, discernible, discountable, discoverable, dishonorable, dispensable, disposable, disreputable, distinguishable, divisible, doable, drinkable, drivable, durable, eatable, edible, electable, eligible, Embraceable, employable, enforceable, enjoyable, enviable, equable, equitable, erasable, erodible, estimable, exchangeable, excitable, excludable, excusable, execrable, exercisable, expandable, expendable, explainable, exportable, extendable, extendible, fallible, fashionable, fathomable, favorable, feasible, fissionable, fixable, flammable, flexible, forcible, foreseeable, forfeitable, forgettable, forgivable, formidable, fungible, fusible, gullible, habitable, harvestable, heritable, hon, honorable, horrible, hospitable, identifiable, illegible, imaginable, imitable, immiscible, immovable, immutable, impassable, impeachable, impeccable, impenetrable, imperceptible, impermissible, implacable, implantable, implausible, imponderable, impossible, impracticable, impregnable, impressionable, improbable, inaccessible, inadmissible, inadvisable, inalienable, inapplicable, inaudible, incalculable, incomparable, incompatible, incomprehensible, incompressible, inconceivable, incontrovertible, incorrigible, incredible, soluble, solvable, spendable, submersible, suggestible, suitable, supportable, survivable, susceptible, sustainable, syllable, talkable, tangible, taxable, teachable, tenable, terrible, inflexible, inheritable, inhospitable, inimitable, injectable, innumerable, inoperable, insatiable, inscrutable, inseparable, insoluble, insufferable, insupportable, insurmountable, intangible, intelligible, interchangeable, interminable, interruptible, intolerable, intractable, invaluable, investable, invincible, inviolable, invisible, invulnerable, irascible, irreconcilable, irrefutable, irremediable, irreparable, irreplaceable, irrepressible, irresistible, irresponsible, irreversible, irrevocable, irritable, issuable, justifiable, knowledgeable, lamentable, laudable, laughable, leasable, legible, liable, likable, likeable, livable, lovable, malleable, manageable, mandible, maneuverable, marketable, measurable, memorable, microwavable, miscible, miserable, moldable, movable, navigable, negligible, negotiable, noncallable, nonconvertible, nondeductible, nondurable, nonrefundable, nonrenewable, nontaxable, nontransferable, notable, noticeable, objectionable, observable, obtainable, operable, ostensible, palatable, parable, passable, patentable, payable, peaceable, perceptible, perishable, permeable, permissible, personable, persuadable, pitiable, plausible, pleasurable, pliable, portable, possible, potable, practicable, predictable, preferable, presentable, preventable, printable, probable, profitable, programmable, prosecutable, provable, punishable, questionable, quotable, reachable, readable, realizable, reasonable, receivable, rechargeable, recognizable, recordable, recoverable, recyclable, redeemable, redoubtable, reducible, refundable, regrettable, reliable, remarkable, removable, renewable, rentable, repairable, repayable, repeatable, replaceable, reportable, reprehensible, reputable, resealable, resettable, respectable, responsible, retractable, returnable, reusable, reversible, revocable, ridable, salable, saleable, salvageable, seasonable, sensible, serviceable, sizable, sizeable, sociable, tolerable, traceable, tractable, tradable, tradeable, trainable, transferable, transferrable, transmittable, transportable, treatable, tunable, unacceptable, unaccountable, unaffordable, unalienable, unalterable, unanswerable, unassailable, unattainable, unavailable, unavoidable, unbearable, unbeatable, unbelievable, unbuildable, uncollectible, uncomfortable, unconscionable, uncontrollable, undeniable, understandable, undesirable, undetectable, unelectable, unemployable, unenforceable, unenviable, unexplainable, unfashionable, unfathomable, unfavorable, unfeasible, unforeseeable, unforgettable, unforgivable, ungovernable, unimaginable, unimpeachable, uninhabitable, uninsurable, unintelligible, unjustifiable, unknowable, unlivable, unmanageable, unmentionable, unmistakable, unobtainable, unpalatable, unpredictable, unprintable, unprofitable, unquestionable, unreachable, unreadable, unreasonable, unrecognizable, unreliable, unremarkable, unsalable, unshakable, unsinkable, unsolvable, unspeakable, unsuitable, unsupportable, unsustainable, untenable, unthinkable, untouchable, untraceable, unusable, unverifiable, unwinnable, unworkable, usable, variable, vegetable, venerable, verifiable, veritable, viable, visible, voluble, vulnerable, washable, wearable, winnable, workable. |
| 3 | -b u l | able, amble, assemble, babble, Babel, bauble, bible, bramble, bubble, Bumble, cable, cobble, coble, corbel, crumble, cymbal, dabble, Dibble, disable, disassemble, dissemble, double, Drabble, dribble, enable, enfeeble, ennoble, ensemble, fable, feeble, foible, fumble, gable, gamble, Garble, global, gobble, Gribble, grumble, hardscrabble, herbal, hobble, humble, ignoble, immeasurable, immobile, squabble, Stabile, stable, stubble, stumble, symbol, table, intertribal, jumble, kibble, label, libel, marble, mislabel, mobile, mumble, nibble, nimble, noble, nonverbal, pebble, preamble, psychobabble, quibble, rabble, ramble, reassemble, rebel, redouble, relabel, resemble, Roble, rouble, roundtable, rubble, Ruble, rumble, sable, Scrabble, scramble, scribble, shamble, Sibyl, thimble, timetable, treble, tremble, tribal, trouble, tubal, tumble, turntable, umbel, unable, unscramble, unserviceable, unstable, valuable, verbal, wamble, wobble. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-b-c-e-i-l-n-p" | |
-2 letters: abelian, balance, biplane, capable, capelan, capelin, panicle, pelican. | |
-3 letters: abelia, aecial, alpine, anlace, apical, apneal, apneic, canape, caplin, epical, inlace, palace, pencil, penial, pineal, plaice, plicae. | |
-4 letters: abaci, aecia, alane, alien, aline, anile, apace, apian, apnea, banal, becap, binal, blain, cabal, cabin, cable, canal, ceiba, clean, cline, elain, ileac, labia, lanai, lance, lapin. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-b-c-e-i-l-n-p" | |
+2 letters: inescapable, inescapably. | |
+3 letters: analphabetic, backpedaling, inapplicable, incomparable, paleobotanic. | |
+4 letters: analphabetics, anticipatable, backpedalling, companionable, inappreciable, inappreciably, incapableness, nonalphabetic, unimpeachable, unimpeachably. | |
+5 letters: inapproachable, incapabilities, paleobotanical. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Quotations: Familiar 6. Quotations: Historic 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Translations: Ancient 14. Derivations 15. Rhymes 16. Anagrams | 17. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
