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
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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
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.
And Wall Street analyst Meredith Whitney External link recently tweeted: “Congratulations to my friend, the highly intelligent and incredibly competent Kevin Warsh, on his well-deserved nomination to be the next Chair of the Federal Reserve.”
From Barron's
He demanded an investigation that is "clear and objective, with competent people" handling it.
From Barron's
Self-driving vehicles would undergo "rigorous" tests to prove they are at least as safe, competent and careful as human drivers, before being allowed on UK roads, the government said.
From Barron's
I always wanted to bring in people I could trust and who were competent in the responsibilities I would delegate to them.
From BBC
The expectation of Chinese military theorists is that drone swarms will help the PLA overcome its lack of experience in combat by overwhelming even the most competent human commanders of an opponent.
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.
