competent

American  

[kom-pi-tuhnt] / ˈkɒm pɪ tənt /

adjective

1. having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified.

   He is perfectly competent to manage the bank branch.

   Synonyms:

   proficient, capable, fit

2. adequate but not exceptional.

3. Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) having legal competence, as by meeting certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, or the like.

4. Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.

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competent British  

/ ˈkɒmpɪtənt /

adjective

1. having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable

2. suitable or sufficient for the purpose

   a competent answer

3. law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc

4. belonging as a right; appropriate

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Related Words

See able.

Other Word Forms

• competently adverb
• competentness noun
• noncompetent adjective
• ultracompetent adjective
• uncompetent adjective

Etymology

Origin of competent

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin competent- (stem of competēns, present participle of competere “to meet, agree”); compete, -ent

Example Sentences

Most of all, you will require health advocates and a competent lawyer.

From MarketWatch

Yet, she met respectable friends in Rochester, and grew from a child bride into a competent woman.

From Literature

My exposure to this all stems from being around salespeople who were not competent and didn’t have a clue in how to sell, so they fell back on trite sayings.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Machine intelligence is now a competent and rapidly improving substitute for human intelligence across a growing range of tasks,” the pair wrote.

From Barron's

"The federation therefore defers to the competent judicial authorities for any determinations arising from the matter."

From BBC

Related Words

• adequate
• capable
• decent
• efficient
• proficient
• qualified
• skilled