Unqualified means lacking the skills, training, or credentials needed for a particular job or task. An unqualified pilot hasn't earned a pilot's license and doesn't know how to fly safely. An unqualified teacher hasn't completed the education and certification required to lead a classroom. When a teenager applies for a job requiring five years of experience, they're unqualified simply because they haven't had enough time to gain that experience yet.

The word can also mean complete or absolute, without any limits or conditions. When your friend gives you her unqualified support for your science fair project, she's backing you 100 percent, no questions asked. An unqualified success means something worked out perfectly, with no downsides or problems. An unqualified disaster means everything went wrong and nothing went right.

These two meanings seem opposite, but they share the idea of “without qualifications.” In the first meaning, someone lacks the qualifications they need. In the second meaning, a statement or judgment stands without qualifications, reservations, or exceptions.

When people hire someone unqualified for an important job, it can lead to serious problems. That's why doctors, pilots, lawyers, and many other professionals must prove their qualifications before they're allowed to practice.