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qualified

[kwol-uh-fahyd]
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adjective
  1. having the qualities, accomplishments, etc., that fit a person for some function, office, or the like.
  2. having the qualities, accomplishments, etc., required by law or custom for getting, having, or exercising a right, holding an office, or the like.
  3. modified, limited, or restricted in some way: a qualified endorsement.
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Origin of qualified

First recorded in 1550–60; qualify + -ed2
Related formsqual·i·fied·ly, adverbqual·i·fied·ness, nounqua·si-qual·i·fied, adjectiveun·der·qual·i·fied, adjectivewell-qual·i·fied, adjective

Synonyms

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1. able, capable, competent, fitted.

Antonyms

unqualified.

qualify

[kwol-uh-fahy]
verb (used with object), qual·i·fied, qual·i·fy·ing.
  1. to provide with proper or necessary skills, knowledge, credentials, etc.; make competent: to qualify oneself for a job.
  2. to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive: to qualify an endorsement.
  3. Grammar. to modify.
  4. to make less violent, severe, or unpleasant; moderate; mitigate.
  5. to attribute some quality or qualities to; characterize, call, or name: She cannot qualify his attitude as either rational or irrational.
  6. to modify or alter the flavor or strength of: He qualified his coffee with a few drops of brandy.
  7. Law. to certify as legally competent.
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verb (used without object), qual·i·fied, qual·i·fy·ing.
  1. to be fitted or competent for something.
  2. to get authority, license, power, etc., as by fulfilling required conditions, taking an oath, etc.
  3. Sports. to demonstrate the required ability in an initial or preliminary contest: He qualified in the trials.
  4. to fire a rifle or pistol on a target range for a score high enough to achieve a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert.
  5. Military. to pass a practical test in gunnery.
  6. Law. to perform the actions necessary to acquire legal power or capacity: By filing a bond and taking an oath he qualified as executor.
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Origin of qualify

1525–35; < Medieval Latin quālificāre, equivalent to Latin quāl(is) of what sort + -ificāre -ify
Related formsqual·i·fi·ca·to·ry [kwol-uh-fi-kuh-tawr-ree, -tohr-ee] /ˈkwɒl ə fɪ kəˌtɔr ri, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivequal·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbmis·qual·i·fy, verb, mis·qual·i·fied, mis·qual·i·fy·ing.non·qual·i·fy·ing, adjectiveo·ver·qual·i·fy, verb, o·ver·qual·i·fied, o·ver·qual·i·fy·ing.pre·qual·i·fy, verb, pre·qual·i·fied, pre·qual·i·fy·ing.re·qual·i·fy, verb, re·qual·i·fied, re·qual·i·fy·ing.su·per·qual·i·fy, verb, su·per·qual·i·fied, su·per·qual·i·fy·ing.un·qual·i·fy·ing, adjectiveun·qual·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbun·re·qual·i·fied, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for qualify on Thesaurus.com
1. fit, suit, adapt, prepare, equip. 2. narrow, restrict. 4. meliorate, soften, temper, reduce, diminish. 5. designate, label.

Synonym study

2. See modify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for qualified

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • They would certainly be desirable had we one qualified for the task.

    Homeward Bound

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • But this time she could get no more than a qualified promise out of me.

  • Circumstances, I should say, qualified Bunyan perfectly well for the work which he had to do.

    Bunyan

    James Anthony Froude

  • This kind of political economy can only be qualified as false and deceitful.

  • She had "just loved" them, but he had qualified his admiration.

    Changing Winds

    St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for qualified

qualified

adjective
  1. having the abilities, qualities, attributes, etc, necessary to perform a particular job or task
  2. limited, modified, or restricted; not absolute
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qualify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied
  1. to provide or be provided with the abilities or attributes necessary for a task, office, duty, etchis degree qualifies him for the job; he qualifies for the job, but would he do it well?
  2. (tr) to make less strong, harsh, or violent; moderate or restrict
  3. (tr) to modify or change the strength or flavour of
  4. (tr) grammar another word for modify (def. 3)
  5. (tr) to attribute a quality to; characterize
  6. (intr) to progress to the final stages of a competition, as by winning preliminary contests
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Derived Formsqualifiable, adjectivequalificatory (ˈkwɒlɪfɪkətərɪ, -ˌkeɪ-), adjective

Word Origin

C16: from Old French qualifier, from Medieval Latin quālificāre to characterize, from Latin quālis of what kind + facere to make
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for qualified

qualify

v.

mid-15c., "to invest with a quality," from Middle French qualifier (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin qualificare "attribute a quality to; make of a certain quality," from Latin qualis "of what sort?," correlative pronomial adjective (see quality) + facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "to limit, modify" is from 1530s. Sense of "be fit for a job" first appeared 1580s. Related: Qualified; qualifying.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper