How to Use incompetence in a Sentence

incompetence

noun
  • She was fired for gross incompetence.
  • Because of his incompetence, we won't make our deadline.
  • Why did incompetence feel like the right way in?
    — Kennedy French, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
  • There is where their incompetence comes in.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
  • This is not an office known for its incompetence.
    — Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
  • No one else but the working class has any money or a job to pay for the city’s incompetence.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Still a face of incompetence, to be sure, but ahead of his time nonetheless.
    — Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2024
  • In the public space, the word 'incompetence' has been brought forward.
    — CNN, 3 May 2018
  • But that type of incompetence from distance isn’t going to cut it in this series.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
  • Trump’s legal efforts were a clown car of incompetence, but for a time Barr rode in that car.
    — Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2022
  • By the end of the week, Kennedy and Spear accused her of incompetence.
    — Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • This incompetence is portrayed painfully well on the show.
    — Ginny Hogan, Parents, 17 Dec. 2025
  • The bad news is the Mavs came by their incompetence honestly.
    — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 5 Apr. 2023
  • The spin that is being used to try to defend this act of incompetence is nothing short of absurd.
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Thousands have taken to the streets to challenge the regime’s lies and incompetence.
    — The Economist, 18 Jan. 2020
  • They’d be rewarded for their incompetence with a new stadium and a fresh start in a new town.
    — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 21 Oct. 2019
  • The great tariff turnaround this week was either a sign of gross incompetence or a cruel game played on the world.
    — Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2025
  • The media flagged and flogged it for AI incompetence.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
  • This is incompetence and there should be consequences for judges who make our society less safe.
    — Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Your claim just fell between the cracks, and the airline covered its incompetence with form letters.
    — Christopher Elliott, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2022
  • The White House would have to answer for its incompetence and neglect.
    — Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2018
  • But even with all his power, Elon Musk can't help but demonstrate his gross incompetence.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The only new thing is the depth of incompetence in the diplomatic corps, who insult our allies.
    — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 17 Jan. 2018
  • The great shock is what the police did—their incompetence on the scene and apparent lies afterward.
    — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 2 June 2022
  • On an afternoon of gross incompetence by his football team, the Colts coach put the cherry on top.
    — Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, 10 Sep. 2017
  • As for the Hornets, this is another head scratching move to cap a decade of incompetence.
    — The Si Staff, SI.com, 5 July 2019
  • The middle class and the working poor are equally hard pressed by the regime’s incompetence and corruption.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2017
  • Recovering monies lost through theft, fraud and or incompetence.
    — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
  • Being berated by your boss for your incompetence and having a bunch of strangers laugh at you is true nightmare fuel.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
  • There are people who have known the president for years who would tell you Biden’s incompetence has nothing to do with his age.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incompetence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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