ENGLISH
REFERENCE

weaponized incompetence

idiom
Meaning

A behavioral tactic where a person intentionally pretends to be incapable or performs tasks poorly in order to avoid responsibility and shift the workload to others.


Examples
SIMPLE

He uses weaponized incompetence to avoid doing the dishes.

CONTEXTUAL

She realized her partner was using weaponized incompetence when he claimed he could not figure out how to operate the washing machine.

COMPLEX

By feigning total confusion during every collaborative project, the colleague practiced a subtle form of weaponized incompetence that effectively offloaded his responsibilities onto the rest of the team.

Anchors to

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