UNSKILLED Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

unskilled

adjective

ˌən-ˈskild

Definition of unskilled

as in inexperienced

lacking or showing a lack of expert skill an unskilled handling of the facial features in the portrait explains why it is attributed to "school of Velázquez" and not to the master himself

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in incompetent

lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job hired unskilled workers because they would work for lower wages

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unskilled In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026 With the revision, unskilled workers in Noida will now earn approximately $147 per month, while semi-skilled and skilled workers will also see proportional increases. — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2026 Women worked as domestics; men served as unskilled laborers, canal diggers and later as mill workers across the river. — Paula Kane, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, the women faced with that pool of socially unskilled men have largely been overlooked. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unskilled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unskilled

Adjective

Their quest is complicated by Hampton Squib, an inexperienced and wildly underprepared adventurer whose dream of heroism far exceeds his abilities.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Bass, who finished about 5 points ahead of Raman in the June primary, sought to portray her challenger as an inexperienced outsider who would struggle to build support at City Hall.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of inexperienced

Adjective

So the archetype of an uncharismatic leader is not necessarily someone unlikeable, introverted, socially incompetent or ineffective.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The idea that government, which has been defined as incompetent and inefficient for decades, could provide grocery abundance and variety better than Walmart and Costco has triggered a visceral reaction among critics.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of incompetent

Adjective

In an early study, researchers collected about five hours of primitive tennis movements from amateur players using a compact motion-capture setup.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
In the 1850s, while living in Seneca Falls, New York, amateur scientist Eunice Newton Foote did a series of experiments that put different substances, including carbon dioxide and moist air, inside glass cylinders and left them in the sun.

— Peter Prengaman, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of amateur

Adjective

Jacob Smith, the former staffer, criticized Talarico's opponent, Republican Ken Paxton, as unfit for office.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
His reelection campaign has been rocked by the allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and her senator dad, who says Miller is unfit to serve in Congress.

— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of unfit

Adjective

Bass came out looking like someone incapable of overseeing paint dry, let alone running America’s second-largest city.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
McAdam later said Dominguez was incapable of understanding that his acts were morally and legally wrong.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of incapable

Browse Nearby Words

unsinkable

unskilled

unskillful

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“Unskilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskilled. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unskilled

adjective

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