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View synonyms for competent

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
“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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈcompetently, adverb
  • ˈcompetentness, noun
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Other Words From

  • com·pe·tent·ly adverb
  • non·com·pe·tent adjective
  • ul·tra·com·pe·tent adjective
  • un·com·pe·tent adjective
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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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of competent1

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

See able.
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Example Sentences

Beyond diagnosing what went wrong, I asked Wright what the federal government could have done differently and if he thinks a competent administration with a serious plan might’ve saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

From Vox

Yes, I think what he is gong for is a sort of I’m-more-competent-and-would-have-gotten-all-this-done angle, as opposed to the who-cares-about-the-pandemic-just-open approach.

My hope is that we’ll get another big emergency package and, finally, a competent vaccine rollout, and that we’ll be mostly back to normal by the summer.

From Vox

They were fully formed humans before motherhood and competent as mothers, and those with grown children continue to be independent folks accomplishing much.

A competent travel adviser would never send you into harm’s way.

What they found was that most people preferred to work with the lovable fool rather than the competent jerk.

After all, unlike the other vaccines currently in the pipeline, this one is alive and replication-competent.

As his later wartime record would show, Jackson was extremely competent in the many skills required of a commanding general.

But he had a personal fortune—he spent $1.5 million of his own money on the race—and a competent, if uninspired, message.

“Either of the MiG types must be honored, especially in the hands of a competent pilot,” the retired pilot said.

Unfortunately, I had studied so little at that time, that I don't feel as if I were competent to judge him.

Sometimes the tracing down may have been done by some advanced pupil or competent assistant.

Judging from the rapid progress he made in a short time, this teacher must have been thoroughly competent.

That persons competent to judge of their merit would in after years pronounce them of priceless value.

The things these fellows produce are all read and checked by competent General Staff Officers.

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competencycompetently