Competent: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：qualified and capable (competent)

competent 🔊

/ˈkɒmpɪtənt/

adj.

It means you have enough ability and skill to do a job well.

Competent professional: A confident female doctor examining a medical chart in a clinic.

qualified and capable 🔊

➕

/ˈkwɒlɪfaɪd ənd ˈkeɪpəbl/

adj.

Describes a person who has the necessary skill, knowledge, and experience to perform a task or job effectively and well.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin *competere* ('to strive together, agree, be suitable'), from *com-* (together) + *petere* (to aim, seek).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a COMpetent PET in a contest—it performs together (*com-*) and aims (*petere*) perfectly, showing it is capable.

📖 Example

The new dentist made me feel at ease because she seemed very competent during the check-up. 🔊 The new dentist made me feel at ease because she seemed very qualified and capable during the check-up.

🔗 Collocations

competent authority – An official body or institution with the legal power or jurisdiction in a specific matter.

competent professional – A person who is properly qualified and skilled in their field of work.

competent in – Having the necessary ability or skill in a particular area.

🔄 Synonyms

capable (adj.) – Having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing.

skilled (adj.) – Having or showing the knowledge, ability, or training to perform a certain activity or task well.

proficient (adj.) – Competent or skilled in doing or using something.

🚫 Antonyms

incompetent (adj.) – Not having or showing the necessary skills to do something successfully.

inept (adj.) – Having or showing no skill; clumsy.

unqualified (adj.) – Not officially recognized as a practitioner of a particular profession or activity through having the necessary training, education, or experience.

🌱 Derivatives

competence (n.) – The ability to do something successfully or efficiently.

competently (adv.) – In an efficient and capable way.

incompetent (adj.) – Not having or showing the necessary skills to do something successfully.

📖 Cultural Story

Rooted in the Latin 'competere', meaning 'to strive together' or 'to be suitable', this word evolved to describe one who is adequately qualified. In modern legal and professional contexts, a 'competent authority' is an official body with recognized power, and a 'competent professional' is the expected standard.