Inapt vs. unapt vs. Inept

Inapt, unapt, and inept all these words mean the same thing. However, they are used differently according to modern usage.

                       

Quick look:

Inapt means not suitable for a purpose.

Unapt means not inclined towards something.

Inept means not not qualified or suited for a purpose.

What is the meaning of Inapt ?

According to the modern dictionary,
Inapt means not suitable.

• The school-master is not responsible for the apt and the inapt pupil.
• To return an inapt yell would be worse than silence.

What is the meaning of Unapt ?

According to the modern dictionary,
Unapt means
1. inappropriate, unsuitable

• We found an unapt word for our PM.

2. not accustomed and not likely

• Our PM is unapt to allow corruption.

3. dull, backward

• Our PM is not an unapt person.

What is the meaning of Inept ?

According to the modern dictionary,
Inept means
1. acting or done with not skill, or lacking skill or ability

• We found many students inept at writing.

2. lacking sense, foolish, slow, dull

• Most were inept at it, but some had clearly been trained in combat.

What is the difference between Inapt, Unapt, and Inept ?

We differentiate these words on the basis of their usages.

Inapt is mostly used to mean not suitable, or not appropriate.

Being inapt means being abnormal, awkward, clumsy, cumbersome, and so forth.

• Donald trump is inapt for the post of the president.
• A person with criminal background is inapt for the any position in the government.

Unapt is mostly used to mean not inclined, not accustomed to something. For example, Our PM is unapt (not inclined) to tolerate corruption. Unapt can be used to mean inappropriate, or unsuitable, but that definition is not used by people these day.

Inept is mostly used for not qualified or suited for a purpose. A new recruit may be inept at doing a job, for he/she is new to the job.

• Most of the candidates are inept for the manager post.

According to Garner's Modern American Usage:

Although these words overlap in meaning, they can be usefully distinguished. Inapt = not suitable, fitting, or appropriate <an inapt quotation>. Unapt = not likely or inclined <she is unapt to tolerate laziness>. Inept = lacking aptitude; clumsy; incompetent; foolish <an inept basketball player who can't dribble, pass, or shoot>. Although inept can also mean "inappropriate," that sense is rare today. And because the word is usually intended as an insult, it's an inapt choice in other contexts.

Words from vocabeasy:

We can use inapt and unapt as synonyms. As both of the words mean the same thing. However, most of the modern dictionaries don't include unapt as a word. 

We should use Inept to mean incompetent, not qualified or suited for a purpose.

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