competency
Americannoun
plural
competenciesnoun
-
law capacity to testify in a court of law; eligibility to be sworn
-
a less common word for competence competence
Other Word Forms
- noncompetency noun
Etymology
Origin of competency
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin competentia “expertise, suitability,” in Latin: “agreement, proportion, symmetry,” equivalent to competent + -cy
Compare meaning
How does competency compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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 only way to have a thriving company is if you have all your staff having a high level of competency.”
"The staff that were coming in didn't necessarily have the training and the skills and the competencies to be able to meet the needs of these young people."
From BBC
Lemon attempted to critique Haley’s statements that political leaders over the age of 75 should undergo competency testing.
From Los Angeles Times
An endless buffet of Internet content is available to help anyone of any age develop the same competency and desire.
From Salon
"Instead of dismantling everything, we can actually reuse the facilities, the skills, the competencies we have."
From BBC
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.
