competent

CEFRC1

/ˈkɒmpətənt/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Able to do something successfully and well enough.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Adequate for the purpose.

Examples

  • The office is full of competent people.

  • The university has turned out competent doctors.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Having jurisdiction or authority over a particular issue or question.

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

  3. Functionally in order; functioning adequately.

More examples

In context

  • He's very competent in his work.

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

  • He is a competent skier and an expert snowboarder.

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A blank surgeon must be able to perform complex procedures with precision.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English competent, conpetent, from Old French competent (modern French compétent), from Latin competens, competentem, present participle of competō (“coincide, be equal to, be capable of”). Compare Dutch competent (“competent”), German kompetent (“competent”), Danish kompetent (“competent”).