1 : generally incompetent : bungling inept leadership. 2 : lacking in fitness or aptitude : unfit inept at sports. 3 : not suitable to the time, place, or occasion : inappropriate often to an absurd degree an inept metaphor. 4 : lacking sense or reason : foolish.

Is ineptly a word?

The adverb ineptly implies doing something not only badly, but in a clumsy or awkward way. The Latin root of ineptly and its adjective form, inept, is ineptus, "unsuitable, awkward, or absurd." It comes from in, or "the opposite of" and aptus, "fit or suited."

What makes someone inept?

A clumsy, incompetent person — or an ineffective action — is inept. When you're inept, you don't know what you're doing or just can't get it done. Someone inept is bumbling, clueless, and ineffective. Inept people are dumb or clueless; they don't understand things.