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.
"Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."
From BBC
“As the name suggests, a revocable living trust can be altered or revoked by the grantor at any time during their lifetime if their circumstances change, so long as they’re mentally competent.”
From MarketWatch
As a manager, I had some absolutely fantastic defenders at all of my clubs and most of them were competent in possession.
From BBC
Bruce did what a competent reporter is supposed to do.
From Los Angeles Times
“They want to know who’s capable and competent and can do the job.”
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.
