competence

[ kom-pi-tuhns ]

/ ˈkɒm pɪ təns /

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See synonyms for competence on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity: He hired her because of her competence as an accountant.

an income sufficient to furnish the necessities and modest comforts of life.

sufficiency; a sufficient quantity.

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.

Embryology. the sum total of possible developmental responses of any group of blastemic cells under varied external conditions.

Linguistics. the implicit, internalized knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses and that enables the speaker to produce and understand the language.Compare performance (def. 8).

Immunology. immunocompetence.

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of competence

First recorded in1585–95; compet(ent) + -ence

Words nearby competence

compensatory lengthening, compensatory time, comper, compère, compete, competence, competency, competent, competently, competition, competitive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use competence in a sentence

Once again, the invisibility from the government over this population will make Puerto Rico’s path towards cultural competence education and acceptance of the diversity its citizens harder.
Puerto Rico: Number one in hate crimes|Alberto J. Valentín|February 2, 2021|Washington Blade
The competence of the office is a fair question, but the fraud accusation is absurd.
Rick Scott’s zombie claim about voter fraud in 2018|Salvador Rizzo|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
They also offer a sense of mastery and competence that can give them an advantage over more passive forms of entertainment like movies or books.
Stressed out? Video games can help—if you follow these tips.|Stan Horazek|January 20, 2021|Popular-Science
With most skills, the progression from competence to excellence comes from building upon each new lesson that you learn.
Why we’re creating a new content experience for SMX|Henry Powderly|January 13, 2021|Search Engine Land

From a humble novice, skill learners progressed to the advanced beginner stage, then on to a sort of midpoint of competence, before climbing further to proficiency, finally summiting at expertise.
How I Learned to Surf in Middle Age|Tom Vanderbilt|January 5, 2021|Outside Online
If that state is to be further armed with new laws, its competence will be even more on the line.
David Cameron's Plan to Fight ISIS Will Likely Involve Racial Profiling|Clive Irving|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When you look at Mona Lisa, what you see is a woman of confidence and competence and compassion.
The Life of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the (Most Likely) Real 'Mona Lisa'|Justin Jones|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Voters prize gubernatorial competence above gubernatorial ideology.
Memo to the 2016 GOP: Winning Your Home State Matters|Lloyd Green|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whatever your views on capital punishment, the incident raises questions of basic competence.
Mary Fallin’s Killer Fiasco|Michelle Cottle|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when did they become the litmus test of competence in office?
100 Years of Right (And Left) Moves|Robert Shrum|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nine-tenths of those who have a competence know what income they have, and are careful not to spend more.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He is a business man of great competence, and I think he ought to be able to do much to get things on to a ship-shape footing.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
There are prairie farmers who would consider what he is leaving behind him a competence.
Winston of the Prairie|Harold Bindloss
At the same time he began lending money on short time, and by speculating with the poorer class he acquired a certain competence.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Page 229 Chapter X a comma was inserted in the phrase 'he would secure the competence he had yearned for, for so many years'.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for competence

competence

/ (ˈkɒmpɪtəns) /

noun

the condition of being capable; ability

a sufficient income to live on

the state of being legally competent or qualified

embryol the ability of embryonic tissues to react to external conditions in a way that influences subsequent development

linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, independent of its psychological embodiment in actual human beingsCompare performance (def. 7), langue, parole (def. 5)

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