Competent

/ˈkɒmpətənt/ · adjective

Meaning

Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications..

Definitions by Sense

1. Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
2. (law) Having jurisdiction or authority over a particular issue or question.
3. Adequate for the purpose.
4. (biology, medicine, of an organ, tissue, or system) Functionally in order; functioning adequately.
5. (biology, of a cell wall) Permeable to foreign DNA.
6. (geology) Resistant to deformation or flow.

Example Sentences

He is a competent skier and an expert snowboarder.

I believe in that myself because it has been explained by competent men as the convolutions of the grey matter.

That as a competent keyless citizen he had proceeded energetically from the unknown to the known through the incertitude of the void.

The purpose of sharing these accounts – particularly during Women’s History Month – is to show that women, like men, can grow from bumbling neophytes to competent leaders.

For any disagreements arising from this contract, the competent court shall be the Springfield Circuit Court.

judicial authority having competent jurisdiction

For if they [birds] had been Viviparous, the burthen of their womb, if they had brought forth any competent number at a time, had been ſo big and heavy, that their wings would have failed them, and ſo every body would have had the wit to catch the Old one.

a competent sphincter;   a competent cervix;   a competent immune system

Synonyms for competent

Antonyms for competent

Related Words

Word Forms

• more competent
• most competent

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions