competent
Americanadjective
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having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified.
He is perfectly competent to manage the bank branch.
- Synonyms:
- proficient, capable, fit
-
adequate but not exceptional.
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Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) having legal competence, as by meeting certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, or the like.
-
Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.
adjective
-
having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
-
suitable or sufficient for the purpose
a competent answer
-
law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
-
belonging as a right; appropriate
Related Words
See able.
Other Word Forms
- competently adverb
- competentness noun
- noncompetent adjective
- ultracompetent adjective
- uncompetent adjective
Etymology
Origin of competent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin competent- (stem of competēns, present participle of competere “to meet, agree”); compete, -ent
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.
My exposure to this all stems from being around salespeople who were not competent and didn’t have a clue in how to sell, so they fell back on trite sayings.
“Machine intelligence is now a competent and rapidly improving substitute for human intelligence across a growing range of tasks,” the pair wrote.
From Barron's
"The federation therefore defers to the competent judicial authorities for any determinations arising from the matter."
From BBC
However, its final season was poorly received by critics and viewers, with 1.8 million fans signing a petition to "remake season eight with competent writers".
From BBC
The panel acknowledged feedback provided on Kuppuswamy's behalf "was broadly very positive" and "demonstrated that he is an otherwise good doctor who is clinically competent and respected by his colleagues and patients".
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.
