lacking in skill

USAGE SUMMARY

"lacking in skill" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe someone who is not particularly proficient in an area or activity. For example: "The candidate was lacking in skill when it came to working with computers."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

When they did arrive, they were ill-equipped: short ladders, a volunteer force lacking in skill or experience.

The New York Times

Some of the Premier league's top players, including including Eden Hazard, Samir Nasri and Rio Ferdinand, have complained that the new Fifa 15 game made them "too short, too slow, with the wrong haircut and lacking in skill".

BBC

The CEO compared the progress to what Google's DeepMind achieved with AlphaGo, where it seemed relatively lacking in skill at first, but quickly made leaps to where it could beat human players, and eventually to where it was able to handily beat any human players in the world in a relatively short span of time.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

But Roscoe, a power forward who was lacking in skills, was not chosen until the third round by the Celtics and never signed a contract.

The New York Times - Sports

He had played in goal for England last Wednesday, and been labeled along with the rest of England's finest as lacking in skills compared with the French side that beat them in London.

The New York Times - Sports

Increasingly, they comprise the hard-to-employ, lacking in skills and long detached from the world of work.To achieve full employment, Labour now has two groups of people in its sights.

The Economist

Then they find themselves lacking in skills and it becomes difficult for them to do many things socially and financially and to form long lasting relationships outside the family".Emma Bamford.

Independent

While watching the field-hockey match in Rio between the Indian and U.S. women's teams, on Thursday, I heard the American commentator on NBC say that even though the Indian players were probably not as fit as their opponents, they weren't lacking in skills.

The New Yorker

Shraim and Khlaif (2010) note in their research that 75% of students and 72% of teachers were lacking in skills to utilize ICT based learning components due to insufficient skills and experience in computer and internet applications and this may lead to failure in e-learning and blended learning.

International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education

Many young people were entering adulthood and the adult clinic lacking in skills to take responsibility for their own epilepsy self-care and management.

BMC Pediatrics

The necessity for specialist and well-trained staff has been identified [ 23] yet we found service providers lacking in skills necessary to support a stroke survivor back to work.

Disability and Rehabilitation

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "lacking in skill", specify the area where the skill is deficient to provide clarity and context. For instance, instead of saying "He is lacking in skill", specify "He is lacking in programming skill".

Common error

Avoid using "lacking in skill" as a blanket statement. Be specific about what skills are missing, or you risk sounding vague and unhelpful.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "lacking in skill" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun or pronoun to describe a deficiency in ability. Ludwig confirms its usability in written English, indicating that the phrase is correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "lacking in skill" is a grammatically sound and usable expression for describing a deficiency in ability. While not overly frequent, as indicated by Ludwig, it appears in various contexts, notably news and media and scientific writing. When employing this phrase, it's beneficial to specify the area where the skill is deficient. The related phrases offer several alternatives, varying in formality and nuance, such as "deficient in skill" and "unskilled".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unskilled

A direct adjective meaning not having skill.

deficient in skill

Replaces "lacking" with "deficient", offering a more formal tone.

without skill

Directly states the absence of skill.

wanting in skill

Uses "wanting" instead of "lacking", suggesting a need or absence.

short on skill

Employs "short on" to indicate a deficiency, maintaining an informal tone.

weak in skill

Substitutes "lacking" with "weak", highlighting a lack of strength or proficiency.

lacks proficiency

Uses a more formal word for skill, "proficiency", suggesting a higher level of expertise is missing.

untalented

A single-word replacement indicating a general absence of talent or skill.

inept

A succinct way to describe someone as unskilled or clumsy.

green

An informal term meaning inexperienced or new to something.

FAQs

What does "lacking in skill" mean?

The phrase "lacking in skill" means that someone does not have the required ability or proficiency to perform a particular task or activity competently.

How can I use "lacking in skill" in a sentence?

You can use "lacking in skill" to describe a person's inability in a certain area. For example: "Despite his enthusiasm, he was "lacking in skill" when it came to public speaking".

What are some alternatives to "lacking in skill"?

Some alternatives to "lacking in skill" include "deficient in skill", "wanting in skill", or simply "unskilled" depending on the context.

Is it better to say "lacking skills" or "lacking in skill"?

"Lacking skills" and "lacking in skill" are both grammatically correct, but "lacking in skill" is typically used when referring to a deficiency in a particular area of ability, whereas "lacking skills" is more general.