proficiency
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of proficiency
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin prōfici(ēns) “advancing” ( see proficient) + -ency
Explanation
If you have proficiency with something, you are pretty good at it. If you have proficiency with Spanish, you can understand and communicate well in that language. Proficiency, pronounced "pro-FISH-en-cee," comes from the Latin word proficere, meaning "accomplish, make progress, be useful." If you have achieved proficiency in something, you have done well at gaining a skill. However, having proficiency doesn't make you an expert. Still, proficiency is something to be proud of — it means you have worked hard, and if you keep going, you probably will become an expert.
Vocabulary lists containing proficiency
Power Prefix: pro
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Twelve Years a Slave
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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.
All the buzz recently about AI-trained robots relates to humanoids that can move freely in their environment and learn to do tasks at human levels of proficiency, thanks to AI computing.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
But in his address to the diaspora gathering, Ruto said Kenya's education system produced strong English proficiency and that it was difficult to understand Nigerians when they spoke English.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Such seamless technologies teach us that repair and understanding is not our role and that such proficiency and knowledge is unnecessary.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
Researchers found that Latino students faced myriad challenges, including immigration issues, English proficiency and unstable housing that is linked to their parents’ employment status.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
He lived in the details and worked his magic in the context of the moment, mobilizing those forces on the ground more adroitly and with a more deft tactical proficiency than anyone else.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
