in ‧ com ‧ pat ‧ i ‧ ble AC /ˌɪnkəmˈpætəb ə l◂, ˌɪnkəmˈpætɪb ə l◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ compatibility ≠ ↑ incompatibility ; adjective : ↑ compatible ≠ ↑ incompatible ]
1 . two people who are incompatible have such different characters, beliefs etc that they cannot have a friendly relationship OPP compatible :
I don’t know why they ever got married. They’re totally incompatible.
2 . two things that are incompatible cannot exist or be accepted together
incompatible with
Business interests are incompatible with public office.
Politeness and truth are often mutually incompatible.
3 . two things that are incompatible are of different types and so cannot be used together OPP compatible
incompatible with
The laser printer is incompatible with the new computer.
incompatible blood groups
—incompatibility /ˌɪnkəmpætəˈbɪləti, ˌɪnkəmpætɪˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable] :
sexual incompatibility
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THESAURUS
▪ unsuitable/not suitable not having the right qualities for a particular person, purpose, or situation:
These toys are not suitable for children under 3.
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The job was considered unsuitable for women.
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Some dogs end up in totally unsuitable homes.
▪ not appropriate/inappropriate not suitable for a particular situation or purpose – used especially about someone's behaviour or language:
Slang is not appropriate in an academic essay.
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Never reward inappropriate behaviour.
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It would not be appropriate for us to comment at this stage.
▪ wrong not the right thing or person for a particular job or purpose:
You’re using the wrong spoon – this is the soup spoon.
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She was simply the wrong person for the job.
▪ out of place [not before noun] not looking or seeming suitable for that place or situation:
The horse drawn carriage looks a little out of place among the busy traffic.
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At first I felt a bit out of place.
▪ incompatible two ideas or things that are incompatible cannot exist or be done together. Two people who are incompatible are unlikely to have a successful relationship, because they have very different characters, beliefs etc:
He considered the role of wife and mother to be incompatible with a career.
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Why do totally incompatible people get married?
▪ incongruous formal seeming strange and unsuitable, often in a humorous way, because of being unexpected in a particular situation or very different from its surroundings:
It seemed incongruous having a dance-band at the funeral.
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He was dressed in a three-piece suit with an incongruous tie shaped like a fish.
▪ inconvenient an inconvenient place or time is not suitable and causes problems for you:
He always seems to call at inconvenient times.
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The new station is inconvenient to pedestrians, because it is a long walk from the centre of town.
▪ unfit not suitable to be used for something, or not suitable to do something :
The boat is not only unfit to live in but is actually unsafe.
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The meat was declared unfit for human consumption (=not suitable to eat) .
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He claims she is an unfit mother.
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A jury decided Pryse-Jones was unfit to stand trial at court because of his mental illness.
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The house was unfit for human habitation (=not suitable to live in) .