ineligible

adjective

Definition of ineligiblenext
as in disqualified
not allowed to do or be something Previously ineligible patients may now be able to participate in the study. She was ineligible for the contest.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ineligible In the 2010s, a series of Supreme Court decisions deemed certain categories of innovation — including some advanced software algorithms — ineligible for patenting. — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 What matters most is identifying which types of disputes are ineligible, which are worth disputing, which patterns present greater risks and which internal processes need to be improved before similar disputes arise in the future. — Christine Cooper, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Both letters cited the National Voter Registration Act, a federal law that bars states from systematically removing ineligible voters from state voter rolls during the 90 days before an election. — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026 An election is not required when the number of qualified candidates does not exceed the number of available seats, and candidates who are delinquent in certain monetary obligations to the association may be ineligible to seek election. — Gary M. Mars, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ineligible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineligible
  1. disqualified
  2. unfit
  3. unfitted
Adjective
  • The disqualified angler, whose identity has not been made public, was reportedly in first place and looking at $100,000 in prize money.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Patterson initially was charged with one count of election fraud — voting by disqualified person, which is a Class I felony and punishable by not more than $10,000, or imprisoned up to 3½ years, or both.
    — Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Definition of disqualified
Adjective
  • That’ll be particularly important after Paxton defeated Cornyn in a brutal primary where Senate Republicans and other Cornyn allies spent more than $90 million in his defense and attacked Paxton as unfit for office.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Separately, the Independent Football Regulator has the powers to force club owners to sell and can withhold a license to operate if they are deemed unfit.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfit
Adjective
  • Here, Rodel shares how to make the unfitted kitchen trend your own, one statement-worthy piece at a time.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025
  • The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.
    — Daniel Akst, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022
Definition of unfitted

Browse Nearby Words

inelegantly
ineligible
ineloquent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ineligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineligible. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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