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
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having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
-
suitable or sufficient for the purpose
a competent answer
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law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
-
belonging as a right; appropriate
Synonym Usage
See able.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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”); see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing competent
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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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.
A: "One thing Brazil has done very well is that financial regulation has been surprisingly consistent across administrations. Competent players in the financial industry have made money in Brazil."
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Competent teams with heart and want-to, like the Denver Nuggets, who are next on the docket Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
Competent lawyers absolutely would not put him on the stand anyway — the man is emotionally incontinent and too proud of his crimes to avoid confessing.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2023
"Competent government" and "competent leadership" were, she said, key to achieving these aims.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2023
Competent tribunals will have to decree what is needed in that respect.
From Claimants to Royalty by Ingram, John M.
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.
