core competency

American  

Or core competence

noun

1. a skill needed in order to be successful at a job or other activity.

   Several core competencies have been identified as critical to the success of every student.

2. a particular area of knowledge or expertise that gives a business a competitive advantage.

   The automaker's core competency is sports cars.

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Etymology

Origin of core competency

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Threading the needle between investors’ need for information and a company’s ability to focus on its core competency isn’t easy—but in some ways the SEC’s proposal fails at both.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Slowinski also noted that financial analysis appears to be a core competency for OpenAI’s newest GPT-5.4 model, marking another challenge to Anthropic’s enterprise strongholds.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

On the frontiers of capitalism, nurturing relationships with government officials is often a core competency, or even an existential imperative.

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024

Political savvy isn’t a required core competency in the infantry.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2024

The core competency there is speed and accuracy,” explained Glocer.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman