qualified
Americanadjective
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having the qualities, accomplishments, etc., that fit a person for some function, office, or the like.
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having the qualities, accomplishments, etc., required by law or custom for getting, having, or exercising a right, holding an office, or the like.
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modified, limited, or restricted in some way.
a qualified endorsement.
adjective
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having the abilities, qualities, attributes, etc, necessary to perform a particular job or task
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limited, modified, or restricted; not absolute
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of qualified
Explanation
Qualified means something depends on another action occurring. If your friend receives a qualified offer on her house, that means something else has to happen — like a bank approving the loan — before it's sold. Qualified is an adjective with multiple meanings. Employers seek the most qualified applicants, meaning those who have the most experience and relevant training. Being qualified might also mean you have paperwork that shows you had certain training or meet certain standards. Or qualified can mean "partial" or "incomplete." If you approve of something but others need to agree before it's final, you would give your qualified approval.
Vocabulary lists containing qualified
Excerpt from "The Philosophy of Literary Form" by Kenneth Burke
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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40 SAT words Beginning 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.
“You can pretty much always reproduce their investment returns without liquidity reduction or poor tax features — not an issue for a qualified account, which this appears to be,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
The district qualified because census takers grouped the retail corridor with adjacent poorer neighborhoods and relied only on residential data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Antonelli qualified fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, but will start fourth because of a one-place penalty for the Dutchman.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Mission Viejo likely qualified for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with this the win, and will learn of its opponent on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
With senior nurses seconded to casualty-receiving hospitals further out in the hospitals sector, and more cases coming in, the qualified nurses gave orders freely, and the probationers of Briony’s set were given new responsibilities.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
