competence
Americannoun
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the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity.
He hired her because of her competence as an accountant.
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an income sufficient to furnish the necessities and modest comforts of life.
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sufficiency; a sufficient quantity.
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Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) legal capacity or qualification based on the meeting of certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, citizenship, or the like.
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Embryology. the sum total of possible developmental responses of any group of blastemic cells under varied external conditions.
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Linguistics. the implicit, internalized knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses and that enables the speaker to produce and understand the language.
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Immunology. immunocompetence.
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Geology. the ability of a fluid medium, as a stream or the wind, to move and carry particulate matter, measured by the size or weight of the largest particle that can be transported.
noun
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the condition of being capable; ability
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a sufficient income to live on
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the state of being legally competent or qualified
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embryol the ability of embryonic tissues to react to external conditions in a way that influences subsequent development
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linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, independent of its psychological embodiment in actual human beings Compare performance langue parole
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The ability of bacteria to be undergo genetic transformation.
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The ability to respond immunologically to an antigen, as in an immune cell responding to a virus.
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The ability to function normally because of structural integrity, as in a heart valve.
Etymology
Origin of competence
First recorded in 1585–95; compet(ent) + -ence
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.
Credibility, I assumed, was built by projecting competence and composure, not by exposing flaws.
From fewer opportunities to be promoted to perceived competence at a job, researchers have found that mothers earn less money with each additional child they have.
From Salon
Just care — delivered with competence and a smile.
From Salon
They then tested how different movement speeds influenced embodiment, including body ownership, sense of agency, usability, and social impressions such as competence and discomfort.
From Science Daily
It also cautioned plastic surgeons that “medical decision-making competence among minors is a matter of debate, particularly when patients are experiencing distress and considering treatments with lifelong consequences.”
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.
