Incompetence
Incompetence noun - The lack of sufficient ability, power, or means.
Nearby Words: incompetent, incompetently
Skill
Skill noun - Subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something.
Usage example: with unbelievable skill, the expert in origami transformed a few sheets of paper into a menagerie of exotic animals
How words are described
| individual | individual incompetence | individual skill |
| pure | pure incompetence | pure skill |
| natural | natural incompetence | natural skill |
| considerable | considerable incompetence | considerable skill |
| Other adjectives: true, sheer, actual, extreme, social, remarkable, personal, incredible, military, amazing, tactical. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- Consequences of Revelation takes this stance on Commander Palmer's seeming incompetence in canon - she worked well commanding small teams, but was promoted beyond her level of skill.
Source: The Peter Principle -
But due to Hamilton's skill at enlisting allies, by the time the chase reaches the Channel coast of France, Uncle has suffered the loss of his entire army; his sole surviving lieutenant assassinates him for incompetence.
Source: Mook Depletion -
Cutscene Incompetence: Shinjiro's death might have been avoided if someone bothered to use Dia, a skill that almost everyone in the group has in some form or another.
Source: Video Game / Persona 3
Cite this Source
Skill and Incompetence. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 28, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/incompetence/skill
Incompetence & Skill. N.p., 2016. Web. 28 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/incompetence/skill>.
Skill or Incompetence. 2016. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/incompetence/skill.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "incompetence" and "skill" have occurred on timeline