1
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
2
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
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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
As is often the case, Louie was unlucky — and also unskillful.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2017
Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 July 2020
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
-
Mestre’s indictment comes after he was initially deemed incompetent to stand trial by a judge in April.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
13 July 2025
-
Employees may view them as entitled or incompetent, regardless of their true abilities.—
Anatoly Iofe,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Newcastle was eight games into the 2020-21 season with no wins to its name, its squad unfit and directionless.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
-
But the dreamscape is an airless place, unfit for permanent residence.—
Book Marks
July 3,
Literary Hub,
3 July 2025
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
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
Two thirds of them were unskilled working-class men.—
Christopher R. Browning,
The New York Review of Books,
27 Mar. 2025
-
That doesn't mean that those employees were unskilled.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
The senior leaders in the Illinois Democratic Party are incapable of operating any other way.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 July 2025
-
If such monitoring and action is not a possibility for any reason, it must be understood that the current system is incapable of protecting the public and the juveniles who have been charged with a violent crime must be retained and not released.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskillful. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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