UNSKILLFUL Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

unskillful

adjective

ˌən-ˈskil-fəl

Definition of unskillful

as in incompetent

lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job an unskillful editor can be worse than none at all

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inexperienced

lacking or showing a lack of expert skill some painfully unskillful playing by the band's guitarist

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unskillful It was intended to be a mockery of the way White people danced, though plantation owners often interpreted slaves' movements as unskillful attempts to be like them. — Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 July 2020 One of the most fraught issues around suicide clusters is unskillful media coverage, which studies suggest can spur copycats. — Kate Siber, Outside Online, 4 Sep. 2018 As is often the case, Louie was unlucky — and also unskillful. — Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unskillful

Adjective

In August 2022, Garza was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered to be jailed until a bed in a state mental health treatment facility was available.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
In my opinion, the president and his incompetent, corrupt acolytes have debased the office and dragged the good name of America through the mud.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of incompetent

Adjective

Right tackle Joe Alt (neck) and left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula) remain out, meaning rookie center Jake Slaughter will continue to anchor a front that has featured several inexperienced players over the last two games.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
These experienced and skilled athletes, who are often 22 or 23 years old, are appealing to coaches, especially when compared with inexperienced and physically less developed freshmen.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inexperienced

Adjective

There is exactly no evidence that trans identity makes individuals unfit to serve, and this move is a clear escalation in the administration’s attempts to simply remove trans people from American life.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of unfit

Adjective

The world of June Marple, the elderly amateur detective Christie featured in a dozen novels and 20 short stories, is considerably quainter.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2026
This new class of flamethrowing amateur diplomats has little reason to pursue the humdrum work of nurturing ties.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of amateur

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

Adjective

An unskilled crew can raise a structural shell in weeks instead of months, and the finished building resists fire, mold, and Category 5 hurricane winds.

— Joe Mullich, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Persona did not see economic viability in the unskilled labor approach, Radford says.

— Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of unskilled

Adjective

Colman is incapable of playing any character with just one note, and here delivers another three-dimensional performance of a woman determined to change her life and find her happy place in it.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
As Starlink's speed limits were lowered, Ukraine became incapable of shooting down some Russian drones.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of incapable

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“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskillful. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unskillful

adjective

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