competent

American  

[kom-pi-tuhnt] / ˈkɒm pɪ tənt /

adjective

1. 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

2. adequate but not exceptional.

3. 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.

4. Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.

---

competent British  

/ ˈkɒmpɪtənt /

adjective

1. having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable

2. suitable or sufficient for the purpose

   a competent answer

3. law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc

4. 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

Explanation

If you are competent, you have the necessary ability or skills to do something. If you can carry a heavy tray of food and store a table's worth of orders in your head, you are probably a competent waiter. The opposite of competent is incompetent — an incompetent travel agent might send you to Bahrain when you requested Britain. But competent on its own can sometimes be a veiled criticism, with the implication that someone competent is just going to through the motions — you'd rather have someone inspired on the job. In legal language, competent describes someone who has the mental capacity to take part in a trial or sign a contract.

Example Sentences

Yes, but even the most competent 5-year-old would still run into the same problems that Bondi did.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

Dr Tracy O'Connor Pennuto and Dr Cassondra Morris, from the Federal Medical Center in Butner, testified that Jeffries was competent after assessing him over four months in prison.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

On Tuesday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a social media post that “non-hostile” vessels can pass through the waterway “in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities.”

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

For its part, OpenAI might find it is harder to take market share from the iPhone and replicate a device ecosystem than it is for Apple to deliver competent AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

In many ways she was as cool and competent as Henry; tough-minded and solitary in her habits, and in many ways as aloof.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• adequate
• capable
• decent
• efficient
• proficient
• qualified
• skilled