Synonyms

qualify

American

[kwol-uh-fahy] / ˈkwɒl əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to provide with proper or necessary skills, knowledge, credentials, etc.; make competent.

to qualify oneself for a job.

Synonyms:

equip, prepare, adapt, suit, fit
to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive.

to qualify an endorsement.

Synonyms:

restrict, narrow
Grammar. to modify.
to make less violent, severe, or unpleasant; moderate; mitigate.

Synonyms:

diminish, reduce, temper, soften, ameliorate
to attribute some quality or qualities to; characterize, call, or name.

She cannot qualify his attitude as either rational or irrational.

Synonyms:

designate, label
to modify or alter the flavor or strength of.

He qualified his coffee with a few drops of brandy.
Law. to certify as legally competent.

verb (used without object)

to be fitted or competent for something.
to get authority, license, power, etc., as by fulfilling required conditions, taking an oath, etc.
Sports. to demonstrate the required ability in an initial or preliminary contest.

He qualified in the trials.
to fire a rifle or pistol on a target range for a score high enough to achieve a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert.
Military. to pass a practical test in gunnery.
Law. to perform the actions necessary to acquire legal power or capacity.

By filing a bond and taking an oath he qualified as executor.

qualify British

/ ˈkwɒlɪˌfaɪ, -ˌkeɪ-, ˈkwɒlɪfɪkətərɪ /

verb

to provide or be provided with the abilities or attributes necessary for a task, office, duty, etc

his degree qualifies him for the job
he qualifies for the job, but would he do it well?
(tr) to make less strong, harsh, or violent; moderate or restrict
(tr) to modify or change the strength or flavour of
(tr) grammar another word for modify
(tr) to attribute a quality to; characterize
(intr) to progress to the final stages of a competition, as by winning preliminary contests

"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

Synonym Usage

See modify.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of qualify

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin quālificāre, from Latin quāl(is) “of what sort” + -ificāre -ify

Explanation

Make sure you know the context when using the word qualify. In one sense, it means to be right for, to measure up. In another sense, though, qualify means to change something slightly, to limit it or add a condition to it. If you want to qualify for your driver's license, remember not to drive through that final stop sign without stopping. I guarantee you that if you don't stop you will not qualify. You don't just get your Eagle Badge. You have to qualify for it—there's a lot to do before you get it. The word might be used in its other sense like this: If you plan to get married, keep your vows simple: say "I do." Don't qualify them by saying something like "I do...except sometimes, when I don't." If you have to qualify your wedding vows, don't get married.

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Vocabulary lists containing qualify

40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"

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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q

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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:

qualify qualifies qualified qualifying

This year, for the first time, the Foley artist who worked on blockbuster movies such as “Frozen,” “Interstellar” and “The Dark Knight” did not have enough hours to qualify for her union healthcare.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Private loans also don’t qualify for government income-based repayment plans, which limit monthly payments to a de minimis share of a borrower’s income.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

To qualify for residency, tenants of Viva must have an average income of about 60% of the area’s median income, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

As a result, he may qualify for little or no financial assistance even though he personally has no earnings.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

I wanted to qualify for the National Collegiate Fencing Championships or the NCAAs and I wanted to spend time with my friends.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

She is correct: Losing workplace health insurance qualifies your friend, or anyone else in a similar position, for a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

What counts as heat, and what qualifies as useful work when a machine is made from only an atom and particles of light?

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

McCann grew up in England but qualifies to compete for Scotland through his father, Gerry.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

She likens it to being an athlete who qualifies to represent their country at the Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

It's a pretty miserable excuse for a life, but technically it still qualifies.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Kerstin Neukamp, a spokeswoman for the mayor's office, said the growth of AT&S had brought "highly qualified jobs and additional international visibility" for the town and the region.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

It heard that Mokwele was more than qualified for the post and had about a dozen certificates to her name.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Kutnerian also hopes to add a federally qualified health center that would receive federal funds to provide primary care at reduced rates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Six other cases were closed because the AG’s office said it couldn’t prove those voters knew they weren’t qualified, or else their manner of registration couldn’t be determined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

But I am not qualified to go because I don’t understand my work, I tell him.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Drivers completed two practice sessions early Saturday to learn the course for the first time and competed for pole position in the afternoon during qualifying laps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Norris' problem is that, in the race, an advantage in the high-speed corners cannot be exploited as much as on fresh tyres on one lap in qualifying.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Spain's Alex Palou, the season points leader who has won six times this year, captured his seventh pole position of the campaign with a qualifying lap of 56.899 seconds after topping practice laps at 56.614.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Labor Department says she must have been covered by her employer’s group health plan, the plan must be subject to COBRA, and she must experience a qualifying event that causes her to lose coverage.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

I still had several days of camp ahead of me, then another two weeks of practices in Brazil before podium training and the qualifying round.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023