qualification
Americannoun
-
a quality, accomplishment, etc., that fits a person for some function, office, or the like.
-
a circumstance or condition required by law or custom for getting, having, or exercising a right, holding an office, or the like.
-
the act of qualifying; state of being qualified.
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modification, limitation, or restriction.
to endorse a plan without qualification.
- Synonyms:
- condition, stipulation, reservation
-
an instance of this.
He protected his argument with several qualifications.
noun
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an official record of achievement awarded on the successful completion of a course of training or passing of an exam
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an ability, quality, or attribute, esp one that fits a person to perform a particular job or task
he has no qualifications to be a teacher
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a condition that modifies or limits; restriction
-
the act of qualifying or state of being qualified
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of qualification
1535–45; < Medieval Latin quālificātiōn- (stem of quālificātiō ), equivalent to quālificāt ( us ) (past participle of quālificāre to qualify ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A qualification is either a condition that must be met or a statement that puts a limit on a claim. Both kinds of qualification are restrictive. You know how there are requirements for jobs? You can call those requirements qualifications. For example, a college degree and certain experiences are qualifications for many jobs: without them, you won't even get a job interview. A qualification is also a type of statement that makes a previous statement more specific. If you said "I'm thirsty!" and then added "Not for root beer, though," your second statement is a qualification. Qualifications add a limit to what's been said.
Vocabulary lists containing qualification
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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"Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe
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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.
See Examples For:
However, a conditional obligation to buy based on appearances, goals or triggers such as European qualification could be interpreted either way, depending on how likely it is that Garnacho ultimately completes a permanent move.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But these strategies’ long-term success comes with a significant qualification: their occasional huge losses — known as momentum crashes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
According to this school of thought, his main qualification was a lack thereof.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
It also called for a new sergeant qualification to replace an "outdated" exam currently passed by fewer than half of candidates, as well as "urgent action to build a credible pipeline of future chief constables".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
But if it starts to get longer it can force a reader to entertain a complicated qualification before she has any idea what it is qualifying.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
While other officials offer qualifications, Homan offers threats.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
“It authorizes only a sharply limited inquiry of candidate qualifications, demands nothing of their motivations, and trusts that ‘Alaska voters are not easily fooled.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Every U.S. state has an independent agency—typically called a commission on judicial conduct, a judicial qualifications commission, or a board on judicial standards—that is authorized to investigate complaints against judges.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Officials from New York state’s Division of Licensing Services reopened questions about her qualifications and summoned her to Albany for a formal interview on Nov. 4, just weeks before her license was to expire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
“He has all the qualifications I require in a lab assistant.”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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.
