competent
Americanadjective
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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
-
adequate but not exceptional.
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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.
-
Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.
adjective
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having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
-
suitable or sufficient for the purpose
a competent answer
-
law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
-
belonging as a right; appropriate
Synonym Usage
See able.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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”); see compete, -ent
Explanation
If you are competent, you have the necessary ability or skills to do something. If you can carry a heavy tray of food and store a table's worth of orders in your head, you are probably a competent waiter. The opposite of competent is incompetent — an incompetent travel agent might send you to Bahrain when you requested Britain. But competent on its own can sometimes be a veiled criticism, with the implication that someone competent is just going to through the motions — you'd rather have someone inspired on the job. In legal language, competent describes someone who has the mental capacity to take part in a trial or sign a contract.
Vocabulary lists containing competent
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A: "One thing Brazil has done very well is that financial regulation has been surprisingly consistent across administrations. Competent players in the financial industry have made money in Brazil."
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Competent teams with heart and want-to, like the Denver Nuggets, who are next on the docket Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
Competent lawyers absolutely would not put him on the stand anyway — the man is emotionally incontinent and too proud of his crimes to avoid confessing.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2023
"Competent government" and "competent leadership" were, she said, key to achieving these aims.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2023
Competent, kom′pe-tent, adj. suitable: sufficient: fit: belonging: legally qualified: legitimate.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
