English Meaning & Definitions
Not able to exist or work together in combination because of inherent differences or conflicting characteristics.
- “The new software update is incompatible with older operating systems.”
- “They eventually divorced because their personalities were fundamentally incompatible.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “incompatible”.
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'incompatibilis', formed by the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'compatibilis' (sympathetic or capable of existing together). The latter comes from the Latin 'compati', meaning 'to suffer with' or 'to bear with', reflecting the idea that things that are incompatible cannot 'suffer' or exist alongside one another.
Think of 'in-com-pat-ible' as 'in-company-not-able': if two people are not able to be in company together, they are incompatible.
Frequently Asked Questions About “incompatible”
1. What is the meaning of “incompatible” in English?
In English, incompatible (adjective) is defined as: “Not able to exist or work together in combination because of inherent differences or conflicting characteristics.”.
2. How do you use “incompatible” in a sentence?
“The new software update is incompatible with older operating systems.”
3. What are English synonyms of “incompatible”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “incompatible”?
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'incompatibilis', formed by the prefix 'in-' (not) and 'compatibilis' (sympathetic or capable of existing together). The latter comes from the Latin 'compati', meaning 'to suffer with' or 'to bear with', reflecting the idea that things that are incompatible cannot 'suffer' or exist alongside one another.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.