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
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.
Peter Bradshaw is disagreed in The Guardian, external, calling the film a "competent but pointless and unexciting back-to-basics live-action remake" in his two-star review.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
He told AFP that "the presumption of innocence must be preserved... until the facts are established by the competent authorities."
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The case will continue to trial if Gledhill is later found to be competent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Nagraj, who lives in New York City, became so competent at caring for an older loved one that he got into the business of helping other families navigate care for aging adults.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
“Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you two did. I thought you should know—it wasn’t a total loss.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
