Meaning & use
competent
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Able to do a job or task properly, with enough skill and knowledge to get reliable results, though not necessarily outstanding ones.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb; often followed by in or at, or by to plus a verb: competent in math, competent to drive.
Patterns
- competent at something
- competent in something
- competent to do something
She is a competent electrician who always finishes the job on schedule.
The new manager seems competent, so the team feels calmer.
He was competent in three languages but fluent in only one.
adjectiveafter a verblegalformal
Having the legal power or mental capacity to take part in a legal process, such as giving evidence or standing trial.
Grammar: Usually follows a verb and is often followed by to plus a verb: competent to stand trial.
Patterns
- competent to do something
Two doctors examined him and judged him competent to stand trial.
A child may not be considered competent to sign a contract.
The court asked whether the witness was competent to testify.
Word forms
| comparative | more competent |
|---|---|
| superlative | most competent |
Common combinations
- perfectly competent
- He is a perfectly competent driver, just a nervous one.
- highly competent
- The hospital hired a highly competent surgeon.
- competent authority
- Send the form to the competent authority in your region.
- competent at
- She is competent at handling difficult customers.
- reasonably competent
- A reasonably competent cook can follow this recipe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- capable
- Capable suggests potential to do things well, while competent says someone already does a job adequately.
- proficient
- Proficient points to a trained, practiced skill, so it sounds stronger and more specialized than competent.
- adequate
- Adequate describes work that is just good enough and can be faintly negative, while competent praises the person's skill.
- skilled
- Skilled implies real expertise built over time, and it is a bigger compliment than competent.
Opposites
Word family
- competence noun
- the ability to do something well
- competency noun
- a specific skill or ability, often listed in job descriptions
- competently adverb
- in a skilled and reliable way
- incompetent adjective
- not able to do a job properly
- incompetence noun
- lack of the skill needed to do something
Commonly confused: competent or competitive?
competent vs competitive
Competitive means eager to win or involving contests, while competent means skilled enough to do something.
Practice
The mechanic was not brilliant, but he was ___ and fixed the car correctly.
Choose one answer.
Competent means skilled enough to do the job reliably. Competitive and compatible have different meanings, and complacent would suggest careless self-satisfaction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “competent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.