Synonyms

qualify

American

[kwol-uh-fahy] / ˈkwɒl əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to provide with proper or necessary skills, knowledge, credentials, etc.; make competent.

to qualify oneself for a job.

Synonyms:

equip, prepare, adapt, suit, fit
to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive.

to qualify an endorsement.

Synonyms:

restrict, narrow
Grammar. to modify.
to make less violent, severe, or unpleasant; moderate; mitigate.

Synonyms:

diminish, reduce, temper, soften, ameliorate
to attribute some quality or qualities to; characterize, call, or name.

She cannot qualify his attitude as either rational or irrational.

Synonyms:

designate, label
to modify or alter the flavor or strength of.

He qualified his coffee with a few drops of brandy.
Law. to certify as legally competent.

verb (used without object)

to be fitted or competent for something.
to get authority, license, power, etc., as by fulfilling required conditions, taking an oath, etc.
Sports. to demonstrate the required ability in an initial or preliminary contest.

He qualified in the trials.
to fire a rifle or pistol on a target range for a score high enough to achieve a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert.
Military. to pass a practical test in gunnery.
Law. to perform the actions necessary to acquire legal power or capacity.

By filing a bond and taking an oath he qualified as executor.

qualify British

/ ˈkwɒlɪˌfaɪ, -ˌkeɪ- /

verb

to provide or be provided with the abilities or attributes necessary for a task, office, duty, etc

his degree qualifies him for the job
he qualifies for the job, but would he do it well?
(tr) to make less strong, harsh, or violent; moderate or restrict
(tr) to modify or change the strength or flavour of
(tr) grammar another word for modify
(tr) to attribute a quality to; characterize
(intr) to progress to the final stages of a competition, as by winning preliminary contests

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See modify.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of qualify

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin quālificāre, from Latin quāl(is) “of what sort” + -ificāre -ify

Explanation

Make sure you know the context when using the word qualify. In one sense, it means to be right for, to measure up. In another sense, though, qualify means to change something slightly, to limit it or add a condition to it. If you want to qualify for your driver's license, remember not to drive through that final stop sign without stopping. I guarantee you that if you don't stop you will not qualify. You don't just get your Eagle Badge. You have to qualify for it—there's a lot to do before you get it. The word might be used in its other sense like this: If you plan to get married, keep your vows simple: say "I do." Don't qualify them by saying something like "I do...except sometimes, when I don't." If you have to qualify your wedding vows, don't get married.

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Vocabulary lists containing qualify

40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"

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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q

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List 2

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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.

See Examples For:

qualify qualifies qualified qualifying

Because the child cannot touch the money until age 18, contributions would ordinarily not qualify for the annual $19,000 exclusion, so donors would have to file a Form 709.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

If you have excellent credit, you might qualify for a better-than-average loan-refinance rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

He’ll have no trouble continuing to hate the Dodgers as they roll over his Padres once again in the postseason this year, should his Padres luck out and even qualify.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Yes, you self-certify that this money is going toward a personal or family emergency, and the rules around what might qualify are fairly broad, but I wouldn’t assume that credit-card debt makes you eligible.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Today, Cleofes Apodaca might qualify to be called the Patron Saint Crazy of Milagro.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

After Meta agreed on Wednesday to settle claims that it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict and harm young users, a debate is already brewing about whether this one qualifies.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

What counts as heat, and what qualifies as useful work when a machine is made from only an atom and particles of light?

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

Given that your house qualifies as premarital property, make sure you have the paperwork to show you did so with separate funds.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Manchester City have 16-year-old Scotland youth international Caelan Cadamarteri, who has scored bundles of goals and qualifies for England through his father, former Everton forward Danny.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

It was the kind of acne that qualifies as a medical condition.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

A psychiatrist, psychologist or another qualified mental-health provider can evaluate him and create medical records documenting his diagnosis, history, treatment and limitations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

How do I find someone qualified and trustworthy to handle a small trust like mine?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

In 2022, the hotel workers union qualified a measure for the city ballot that would have required L.A. hotels to lease their vacant rooms to homeless people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

While it’s unquestionably qualified for off-roading, where it really shines is on long, well-groomed asphalt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

There are those around you well qualified to help you through.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

No. Tuition payments made directly to a qualifying school, and qualifying medical expenses paid directly to the provider, are entirely excluded from gift tax, with no dollar cap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The union could be certified in less than 30 days as long as no other qualifying organization emerges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

When such provisions are included, participants may generally access non-Roth after-tax contributions and rollover contributions at any age without satisfying a qualifying event.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

It is the first time that four British players have progressed from qualifying at an overseas Grand Slam since the Australian Open of 1988.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

What particularly intrigued him, though, was that this tournament would be the qualifying tournament for the Interzonal, which was the beginning of the path to the World Championship.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023