proficiency
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
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.
But in his address to the diaspora gathering, Ruto said Kenya's education system produced strong English proficiency and that it was difficult to understand Nigerians when they spoke English.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Such seamless technologies teach us that repair and understanding is not our role and that such proficiency and knowledge is unnecessary.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
Researchers found that Latino students faced myriad challenges, including immigration issues, English proficiency and unstable housing that is linked to their parents’ employment status.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
In 2021, Rousseau also issued an apology over his lack of French proficiency.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
None but a child taken at an early age would have ever attained the proficiency and wrought such widespread evil as I have.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
