Someone who is not competent to take effective action.

synonym: incompetent person.

Roget 501: fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling^†, dizzard^†, donkey, ass; ninny, ninnyhammer^†; chowderhead^†, chucklehead^†; dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby^†, hoddy-doddy^†, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy^†, owl; goose, goosecap^†; imbecile; gaby^†; radoteur^†, nincompoop, badaud^†, zany; trifler, babbler; pretty fellow; natural, niais^†.    child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop.    oaf, lout, loon, lown^†, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps^†, tony.    bull head, dunderhead, addlehead^†, blockhead, dullhead^†, loggerhead, jolthead^†, jolterhead^†, beetlehead^†, beetlebrain, grosshead^†, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead^†; numbskull, thickskull^†; lackbrain^†, shallowbrain^†; dimwit, halfwit, lackwit^†; dunderpate^†; lunkhead sawney [U.S.], gowk^†; clod, clod-hopper; clod-poll, clot-poll, clot-pate; bull calf; gawk, Gothamite, lummox, rube [U.S.]; men of Boeotia, wise men of Gotham.    un sot a triple etage [Fr.], sot; jobbernowl^†, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche^†.    dotard, driveler; old fogey, old woman, crock; crone, grandmother; cotquean^†, henhussy^†.    incompetent (insanity) 503.    greenhorn etc. (dupe) 547; dunce etc. (ignoramus) 493; lubber etc. (bungler) 701; madman etc. 504.    one who will not set the Thames on fire; one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre [Fr.]; no conjuror.    ... show more

Dutch: onbevoegde

Legally not qualified or sufficient:
— Incompetent witnesses.

synonym: unqualified.

Roget 645: useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless; inoperative etc. 158; inadequate etc. (insufficient) 640; inservient^†, unsubservient; inept, inefficient etc. (impotent) 158; of no avail etc. (use) 644; ineffectual etc. (failure) 732; incompetent etc. (unskillful) 699; stale, flat and unprofitable;" superfluous etc. (redundant) 641; dispensable; thrown away etc. (wasted) 638; abortive etc. (immature) 674.    worthless, valueless, priceless; unsalable; not worth a straw etc. (trifling) 643, dear at any price.    vain, empty, inane; gainless^†, profitless, fruitless; unserviceable, unprofitable; ill-spent; unproductive etc. 169; hors de combat [Fr.]; effete, past work etc. (impaired) 659; obsolete etc. (old) 124; fit for the dust hole; good for nothing; of no earthly use; not worth having, not worth powder and shot; leading to no end, uncalled for; unnecessary, unneeded.    ... show more

Roget 649: hurtful, harmful, scathful^†, baneful, baleful; injurious, deleterious, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, mischievous, full of mischief, mischief-making, malefic, malignant, nocuous, noisome; prejudicial; disserviceable^†, disadvantageous; wide-wasting.    unlucky, sinister; obnoxious; untoward, disastrous.    oppressive, burdensome, onerous; malign etc. (malevolent) 907.    corrupting etc. (corrupt) etc. 659; virulent, venomous, envenomed, corrosive; poisonous etc. (morbific) 657^†; deadly etc. (killing) 361; destructive etc. (destroying) 162; inauspicious etc. 859.    bad, ill, arrant, as bad as bad can be, dreadful; horrid, horrible; dire; rank, peccant, foul, fulsome; rotten, rotten at the core.    vile, base, villainous; mean etc. (paltry) 643; injured &c.; deteriorated etc. 659; unsatisfactory, exceptionable indifferent; below par etc. (imperfect) 651; illcontrived, ill-conditioned; wretched, sad, grievous, deplorable, lamentable; pitiful, pitiable, woeful etc. (painful) 830.    evil, wrong; depraved etc. 945; shocking; reprehensible etc. (disapprove) 932.    hateful, hateful as a toad; abominable, detestable, execrable, cursed, accursed, confounded; damned, damnable; infernal; diabolic etc. (malevolent) 907.    unadvisable etc. (inexpedient) 647; unprofitable etc. (useless) 645; incompetent etc. (unskillful) 699; irremediable etc. (hopeless) 859.    ... show more

Not qualified or suited for a purpose.

Showing lack of skill or aptitude.

synonyms: bungling, clumsy, fumbling.

Roget 699: unskillful etc. 698; inexpert; bungling etc. v.; awkward, clumsy, unhandy, lubberly, gauche, maladroit; left-handed, heavy-handed; slovenly, slatternly; gawky.    adrift, at fault.    inapt, unapt; inhabile [Fr.]; untractable^†, unteachable; giddy etc. (inattentive) 458; inconsiderate etc. (neglectful) 460; stupid etc. 499; inactive etc. 683; incompetent; unqualified, disqualified, ill-qualified; unfit; quackish; raw, green, inexperienced, rusty, out of practice.    unaccustomed, unused, untrained etc. 537, uninitiated, unconversant etc. (ignorant) 491^†; shiftless; unstatesmanlike.    unadvised; ill-advised, misadvised; ill-devised, ill-imagined, ill-judged, ill-contrived, ill-conducted; unguided, misguided; misconducted, foolish, wild; infelicitous; penny wise and pound foolish etc. (inconsistent) 608.    ... show more

Not doing a good job:
— Incompetent at chess.

synonym: unskilled.

Not meeting requirements.

synonyms: incapable, unequal to.

Roget 640: insufficient, inadequate; too little etc. 32; not enough etc. 639; unequal to; incompetent etc. (impotent) 158; weighed in the balance and found wanting;" perfunctory etc. (neglect) 460; deficient etc. (incomplete) 53; wanting, etc. v.; imperfect etc. 651; ill-furnished, ill-provided, ill-stored, ill-off.    slack, at a low ebb; empty, vacant, bare; short of, out of, destitute of, devoid of, bereft of etc. 789; denuded of; dry, drained.    unprovided, unsupplied^†, unfurnished; unreplenished, unfed^†; unstored^†, untreasured^†; empty-handed.    meager, poor, thin, scrimp, sparing, spare, stinted; starved, starving; halfstarved, famine-stricken, famished; jejune.    scant etc. (small) 32; scarce; not to be had, not to be had for love or money, not to be had at any price; scurvy; stingy etc. 819; at the end of one's tether; without resources etc. 632; in want etc. (poor) 804; in debt etc. 806.    ... show more

Roget 158: powerless, impotent, unable, incapable, incompetent; inefficient, ineffective; inept; unfit, unfitted; unqualified, disqualified; unendowed; inapt, unapt; crippled, disabled etc. v.; armless^†.    harmless, unarmed, weaponless, defenseless, sine ictu [Lat.], unfortified, indefensible, vincible, pregnable, untenable.    paralytic, paralyzed; palsied, imbecile; nerveless, sinewless^†, marrowless^†, pithless^†, lustless^†; emasculate, disjointed; out of joint, out of gear; unnerved, unhinged; water-logged, on one's beam ends, rudderless; laid on one's back; done up, dead beat, exhausted, shattered, demoralized; graveled etc. (in difficulty) 704; helpless, unfriended^†, fatherless; without a leg to stand on, hors de combat [Fr.], laid on the shelf.    null and void, nugatory, inoperative, good for nothing; ineffectual etc. (failing) 732; inadequate etc. 640; inefficacious etc. (useless) 645.    ... show more