Ineligible means not qualified or not allowed to participate in something, usually because you don't meet certain requirements. When someone is ineligible for an award, they can't receive it because they don't fit the rules. A student might be ineligible to run for student council president if they don't have the required grades, or a player might be ineligible for the championship game if they missed too many practices.

Think of eligibility as a checklist: you need to be a certain age, have certain qualifications, or meet specific conditions. When you're ineligible, you're missing something on that checklist.

Being ineligible isn't necessarily anyone's fault. You might be ineligible to vote simply because you're not old enough yet. An Olympic athlete might become ineligible for amateur competitions once they become a professional.