competent

[ kom-pi-tuhnt ]

adjective

1. having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified:

   He is perfectly competent to manage the bank branch.

   Synonyms: proficient, capable, fit

2. adequate but not exceptional.
3. Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) having legal competence, as by meeting certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, or the like.
4. Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.

competent

/ ˈkɒmpɪtənt /

adjective

1. having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
2. suitable or sufficient for the purpose

   a competent answer

3. law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
4. postpositivefoll byto belonging as a right; appropriate

Derived Forms

• ˈcompetently, adverb
• ˈcompetentness, noun

Other Words From

• com·pe·tent·ly adverb
• non·com·pe·tent adjective
• ul·tra·com·pe·tent adjective
• un·com·pe·tent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of competent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin competent- (stem of competēns, present participle of competere “to meet, agree”); compete, -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of competent¹

C14: from Latin competēns, from competere to be competent; see compete

Synonym Study

See able.

Example Sentences

He told the BBC: "I don't think I committed fraud. I didn't want any of this to happen. I was certainly not nearly as competent as I thought I was."

From BBC

“They also may feel like their child may not be competent enough for the program, which creates a situation where our kids aren’t even given the chance to compete to get into the program.”

From Los Angeles Times

When faced with the options of chaos, greed, and anger or relative common sense—the kind wielded by a competent, qualified Black woman—voters overwhelmingly chose the former.

From Slate

Answer: a competent narcissistic, megalomaniac billionaire taking control of the United States.

From Slate

By 10, the mood was flagging, as it became clear that, once again, American voters were showing themselves unable to make the correct and obvious choice between a good-hearted, competent woman and a screaming, hateful fascist.

From Salon

Related Words

• adequate
• capable
• decent
• efficient
• proficient
• qualified
• skilled