competent
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
The foreign ministry statement added that ships linked to qualifying countries could "benefit from safe passage" but "in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities".
From Barron's
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
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said “non-hostile” vessels can pass through the waterway “in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities” in a social-media post Tuesday.
From Barron's
Ghalibaf is considered ruthless and ambitious but also a competent manager.
“You can be bold. You can be silly. You can be competent and unsure of all your acts at the same time,” Davis said during her opening remarks.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
