Weaponized Incompetence

[TheSparklyGoat]

The phrase “Weaponized Incompetence” came up on a post about another topic and had been the source of some discussion.

One poster rightly noted that it doesn’t exists in the OED. I felt ignorant because I had no idea so many terms and phrases are included there.

Strategic Incompetence is in the OED.

Please share your thoughts and insights.

Words are used frequently before being added to the OED.

Last year "hidden gem" was added - its first recorded use was 1785! Assuming most of mumsnet had heard of and/or used the term long before 2025 and had no issue with it not being in the OED - no doubt including even "taught English to an Emmerdale script writer".

Doomscrolling - first recorded use in 2018. Added to OED 2026.

Weaponised incompetence - first recorded use 2021. It could be added in a few years, it could take a few centuries.

Weaponised not weaponized if we are being pedantic and looking things up in the Oxford English Dictionary

Yes this. Also it's a dictionary of words, not phrases. While some phrases are given as example of usage, they don't include every single possible one, obviously.

This! Less of the Americanised use of z, thank you very much. And I definitely said zed, not zee there.

Earliest usage I can find of the term using AI is 2017 US feminist and advice blogs.

Captain Awkward was mentioned. ❤️

Next in 2018 in UK.

I read it as 'zed'.

Very good.