incapacity

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableformal

   The state of being unable to do something because of illness, injury or a lack of ability, especially to work or look after yourself.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable and followed by to or for: incapacity to work.

   Patterns

   • incapacity to do something
   • incapacity for something
   • through incapacity

   His incapacity to work after the accident left the family short of money.

   The report described her physical incapacity in careful detail.

   Mental incapacity can make it difficult to manage one's own affairs.

2. 2noununcountablelegallaw

   In law, the lack of legal power or mental competence to make binding decisions, such as signing a contract or a will.

   Grammar: Used as a legal term, often with mental: a claim of mental incapacity.

   Patterns

   • legal incapacity
   • mental incapacity
   • declared an incapacity

   The contract was void because of the signer's mental incapacity.

   A judge must decide whether the patient's incapacity requires a guardian.

   Her lawyer argued incapacity at the time the will was made.

Common combinations

mental incapacity

Mental incapacity can affect a person's ability to sign legal documents.

physical incapacity

Physical incapacity prevented him from returning to the factory.

legal incapacity

Children are generally under a legal incapacity to make contracts.

incapacity benefit

He received incapacity benefit while he recovered.

declare incapacity

Doctors may declare incapacity if a patient cannot make decisions.

Synonyms and how they differ

inability

Inability is the general word for not being able to do something, while incapacity sounds more formal and often suggests a medical or legal condition.

disability

Disability names a long-term condition and is a standard term for people, whereas incapacity describes a lack of capacity in a given matter.

incompetence

Incompetence means lack of skill and is critical in tone, while incapacity usually describes circumstances beyond a person's control.

helplessness

Helplessness describes a feeling or state of needing help and lacks the formal, official sense of incapacity.

Opposites

Word family

capacity noun

the ability to do something, or the amount something can hold

incapacitate verb

to make unable to function normally

incapacitated adjective

unable to act because of illness or injury

incapable adjective

lacking the ability to do something

Commonly confused: incapacity or incompetence?

Practice

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