ineligible
ineligible Lexical Profile
ineligible Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Legally or officially unable to be considered for a position, benefit, or activity due to failing to meet specified requirements.
"Full-time employees are eligible for the healthcare plan, whereas temporary contractors remain ineligible."
Unworthy of being chosen or considered undesirable as a prospective spouse or partner.
"Her conservative family viewed the penniless artist as an altogether ineligible suitor."
• noun
A person who does not meet the official qualifications or requirements for a position, privilege, or service.
"The auditing committee screened the applicant pool to remove any ineligibles before the final lottery."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'ineligible' (not qualified or legally permitted to do or receive something) with 'illegible' (impossible or hard to read).
• Rhymes for ineligible
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 18th century from French inéligible or Late Latin ineligibilis, formed from the negative prefix in- ('not') and eligibilis ('capable of being chosen'), from Latin eligere ('to pick out, select').