Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ĭneptus, a, um, adj. [2. in-aptus], unsuitable, impertinent, improper, tasteless, senseless, silly, pedantic, absurd, inept, without tact (class.): quem enim nos ineptum vocamus, is mihi videtur ab hoc nomen habere ductum, quod non sit aptus. Idque in sermonis nostri consuetudine perlate patet. Nam qui aut tempus quid postulet, non videt, aut plura loquitur, aut se ostentat, aut eorum quibuscum est, vel dignitatis, vel commodi rationem non habet, aut denique in aliquo genere aut inconcinnus aut multus est, is ineptus esse dicitur, Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 17: nihil insolens aut ineptum, id. Or. 9, 29: negotium, id. Tusc. 1, 35, 86: causa, Ter. And. 1, 5, 22: lusibus advertere numen ineptis, Ov. Tr. 2, 223: sententiae inepto inanique impetu, Gell. 12, 2, 1: ineptus et jactantior hic paulo est (i. q. nimis officiosus, negotiosus ardelio), Hor. S. 1, 3, 49: chartae, waste-paper, id. Ep. 2, 1, 270: lictor, foolish, impertinent, Pers. 5, 175.
Comp.: quod est multo ineptius, Quint. 9, 2, 70.
Sup.: ineptissimae figurae, Quint. 9, 3, 100: ineptissimum est, with a subject-clause, id. 1, 7, 2; 11, 3, 126.
As an abusive epithet: quid est, inepta, quid rides? Ter. Eun. 5, 7, 6; so, inepte, Ov. R. Am. 472; id. Am. 1, 14, 36; id. A. A. 1, 306.
Adv.: ĭneptē, improperly, impertinently, foolishly, absurdly, ineptly (class.): interdum inepte stultus es, Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 64: disserere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 11: dicere, id. Brut. 82, 284: nil molitur inepte, Hor. A. P. 140: inepte et frigide uti verbis, Gell. 13, 24, 7: fautor ( = favens), Hor. S. 1, 10, 2: cornicari, Pers. 5, 12.
Comp.: delirare, Lact. Inst. 3, 17.
Sup.: ineptissime fieri, Quint. 11, 3, 131.