competent

adjective

com·pe·tent | \ ˈkäm-pə-tənt

Definition of competent

1 : proper or rightly pertinent

2 : having requisite or adequate ability or qualities : fit a competent teacher a competent piece of work

3 : legally qualified or adequate a competent witness

4 : having the capacity to function or develop in a particular way: such as

a : having the capacity to initiate an immune response following exposure to an antigen antibody production by immunologically competent B cells

b of a bacterial cell : capable of taking up exogenous DNA (as from a plasmid) during genetic transformation natural and artificially-produced competent cells

Other Words from competent Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about competent

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Choose the Right Synonym for competent

sufficient, enough, adequate, competent mean being what is necessary or desirable. sufficient suggests a close meeting of a need. sufficient savings enough is less exact in suggestion than sufficient. do you have enough food? adequate may imply barely meeting a requirement. the service was adequate competent suggests measuring up to all requirements without question or being adequately adapted to an end. had no competent notion of what was going on

Examples of competent in a Sentence

… he was tolerated, if not endorsed as the competent painter he was. — Markus Zusak, The Book Thief, 2005 The crafting of fine violins has proceeded for centuries as a secret art, handed down through apprenticeships from generation to generation. It takes 8 years, at least, to train a competent craftsman, decades to hone a master. — Richard Lipkin, Science News, 3 Sept. 1994 "Resort cities're transient places," the detective argued. " … That doesn't mean the police aren't competent." — Joseph Wambaugh, The Secrets of Harry Bright, 1985 … I discovered that Lieutenant Lincoln—a much-admired man hereabouts, and, I imagine, an exceedingly competent physician—was from Worcester … — Alexander Woollcott, letter, 2 Oct. 1917 The defendant was declared competent to stand trial. any competent mechanic should be able to fix that

Recent Examples on the Web

Quarterback Josh Jackson, a Virginia Tech transfer, looked more than competent -- a rarity in recent years for the Terps -- as Maryland scored the second-most points in its history. — John Talty | Jtalty@al.com, al, "The SEC’s shaky Saturday overshadows big wins," 1 Sep. 2019 And if that meant antagonizing her withholding father by consulting on the presidential campaign of one of his biggest political enemies, well, that's just a bonus for the Roys' most competent and overlooked scion. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Who Won the Succession Game of Thrones This Week?," 12 Aug. 2019 Writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum seem too concerned with making sure that everyone likes these characters at every moment, and that means keeping them blandly competent and charming, with minimal faults and mistakes. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Men In Black: International is safe, bland, utterly sincere fun," 12 June 2019 The East Boston woman who allegedly stabbed a Boston EMT seven times inside an EMS ambulance last month was found not competent to stand trial by a Boston Municipal Court judge Friday. — John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, "Woman who allegedly attacked Boston EMT found not competent to stand trial," 16 Aug. 2019 Police learned that he had been discharged after being found mentally competent through Cuyahoga County Probate Court. — Thomas Jewell, cleveland.com, "Theater vandal released from psych ward: Orange Police Blotter," 8 Aug. 2019 Bush in July was found competent to stand trial by a Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center report. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Kroger shooting victim's family sues grocer, says it didn't do enough to prevent bloodshed," 27 Oct. 2018 And now, that’s because of a lot of different reasons, but one of the reasons is that the FBI has actually been quite competent in its anti-terror mission. — Nr Staff, National Review, "The Editors Podcast: More Mass Shootings Shake the Nation," 9 Aug. 2019 Today, the study found, women and men in the US are largely perceived as being equally competent—a significant shift from earlier attitudes that saw women as lacking in competency traits. — Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Quartz at Work, "Women in the US are seen to be as smart as men, but not ready to lead," 22 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'competent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for competent

competent

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of competent

: having the necessary ability or skills : able to do something well or well enough to meet a standard

law : able to take part in a trial

See the full definition for competent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

competent

adjective

com·pe·tent | \ ˈkäm-pə-tənt

Kids Definition of competent

: capable sense 2, efficient a competent teacher

competent

adjective

com·pe·tent | \ ˈkäm-pət-ənt

competent

Definition of competent

Other Words from competent

Synonyms & Antonyms for competent

Choose the Right Synonym for competent

Examples of competent in a Sentence

First Known Use of competent

History and Etymology for competent

English Language Learners Definition of competent

Kids Definition of competent

competent

Definition of competent

Other Words from competent

Synonyms & Antonyms for competent

Choose the Right Synonym for competent

Examples of competent in a Sentence

First Known Use of competent

History and Etymology for competent

English Language Learners Definition of competent

Kids Definition of competent

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