proficiency
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of proficiency
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin prōfici(ēns) “advancing” ( see proficient) + -ency
Explanation
If you have proficiency with something, you are pretty good at it. If you have proficiency with Spanish, you can understand and communicate well in that language. Proficiency, pronounced "pro-FISH-en-cee," comes from the Latin word proficere, meaning "accomplish, make progress, be useful." If you have achieved proficiency in something, you have done well at gaining a skill. However, having proficiency doesn't make you an expert. Still, proficiency is something to be proud of — it means you have worked hard, and if you keep going, you probably will become an expert.
Vocabulary lists containing proficiency
Power Prefix: pro
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Twelve Years a Slave
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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.
The original Certificate of Proficiency in English is now known as the C2 Proficiency exam and is the highest-level Cambridge English qualification, Cambridge University Press & Assessment said.
From BBC • Jul. 25, 2023
Proficiency among Washington students is the lowest it’s been in 20 years.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2023
Proficiency, I realized, is not like victory, success or whatever else dominates America’s hierarchy of goals.
From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021
Proficiency doesn’t require formal training or academic achievement, although both can help.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2017
In 1605 this new idea of discovery was generalized by Francis Bacon in Of the Proficiency and Advancement of Learning.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
