competency
Americannoun
plural
competenciesnoun
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law capacity to testify in a court of law; eligibility to be sworn
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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
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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.
One doctor never examined her, while another barely spoke to her; either of these issues could invalidate competency declarations and expose medical misconduct, fraud and/or conspiracy.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Last August, the Australian government banned remote or at-home tests to assess the language competency of migrants.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
This was because of "the industrial knowledge and the industrial data and competency we have in Europe", he said at the company's headquarters in Walldorf, southwest Germany.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Employees get an AI competency score from one to five—scoring a five if they create systems that improve the workflow of others.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
He had masqueraded at the hospital for eight years conducting competency evaluations on people accused of crimes before his fraud was uncovered.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
