1
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an inapt but well-meaning attempt to inject some humor into the proceedings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
a recruit who was utterly inapt for most soldierly duties, so he spent most of his time playing in the army band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of inapt
The comparison is pungent but inapt: Archival work is not death work.
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Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 May 2024
Some assert that a grip can hardly be considered an inapt jail without also being a biplane.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
If not then your analogy is inapt.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
As a rebuke to warmongers, a monument from one Hohenzollern despot to another seems inapt and more like a hint to keep those hobnail jackboots handy.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
The comparison isn’t entirely inapt.
—New York Times, 19 Jan. 2021
Moreover, the analogy to securities regulation is inapt.
—M. Todd Henderson, WSJ, 16 May 2022
In making an inapt analogy to securities markets, Sen. Lee’s bill would take us back to a less efficient time.
—M. Todd Henderson, WSJ, 16 May 2022
And the insurgency scenario is based on an inapt analogy.
—Zalmay Khalilzad, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inapt
Adjective
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Court documents obtained by PEOPLE cited irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital misconduct as the reason, and Cyrus also sought an annulment on the grounds of fraud.Brendan Le, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
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The general etiquette missteps while attending an event are not RSVP, not being punctual, not bringing a gift, not making a good impression, inappropriate dress code, not knowing when to leave, not sending a thank you card.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The head of the ruling People Power Party turned course from Thursday in announcing that the president is unfit to lead the country.Joohee Cho, ABC News, 7 Dec. 2024
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The team used a P.E. locker room at the stadium since the normal visitors locker room has been unfit for use recently due to a sewage issue, according to MCSD public information officer Matt Jenkins.Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But presidents don’t have the right to act surprised when a truly unsuitable name is put forward and the move is met with almost universal condemnation or at best skepticism.The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 18 Nov. 2024
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Prior to that, the state’s licensing authority could deny licenses when a criminal history made someone unsuitable to treat patients by reviewing their history and current circumstances.Stephen Simpson, Austin American-Statesman, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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When their citizens rose up to object to a government that cared more about Iran’s wishes than their own, the states were too hollow and incompetent to crush the uprising.Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2024
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Williams was offered reassurance, primarily by Poles, that all that failure was a thing of the past, missteps made by previous incompetent regimes.Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But an incorrect response loses any points the team might’ve already gained from this clue, and another team is allowed to steal.Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
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But the chances of an offer shared with applicants interested in NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies and Millennium High School were incorrect due to an error in the programs’ seat availability.Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The final ingredient of the DOGE cocktail is the potential improper conduct of the entity itself.Lisa Gilbert and Robert Weissman, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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Notably, the inspector general's review said there was no evidence that the investigations were influenced by politics or other improper considerations.Robert Legare, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This isn’t to say that Leith and Hollywood are incapable of doing their job because of their age.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2024
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This rhetoric continues conservatives’ history of weaponizing research showing that trans people are more likely to be diagnosed as autistic than cis people in order to baselessly argue that trans youth — and autistic people — are incapable of making their own decisions about their healthcare care.Abby Monteil, Them, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Six people, including two children, are dead after a person driving a pickup truck the wrong way on a Mississippi highway collided with a car.Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
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Available in a wide array of waist sizes from S to 3XL, this adjustable belt — which has seven holes — is almost hard to go wrong in terms of sizing.Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near inapt
Cite this Entry
“Inapt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inapt. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.
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