competence
Americannoun
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the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity.
He hired her because of her competence as an accountant.
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an income sufficient to furnish the necessities and modest comforts of life.
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sufficiency; a sufficient quantity.
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Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) legal capacity or qualification based on the meeting of certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, citizenship, or the like.
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Embryology. the sum total of possible developmental responses of any group of blastemic cells under varied external conditions.
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Linguistics. the implicit, internalized knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses and that enables the speaker to produce and understand the language.
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Immunology. immunocompetence.
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Geology. the ability of a fluid medium, as a stream or the wind, to move and carry particulate matter, measured by the size or weight of the largest particle that can be transported.
noun
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the condition of being capable; ability
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a sufficient income to live on
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the state of being legally competent or qualified
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embryol the ability of embryonic tissues to react to external conditions in a way that influences subsequent development
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linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, independent of its psychological embodiment in actual human beings Compare performance langue parole
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The ability of bacteria to be undergo genetic transformation.
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The ability to respond immunologically to an antigen, as in an immune cell responding to a virus.
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The ability to function normally because of structural integrity, as in a heart valve.
Etymology
Origin of competence
First recorded in 1585–95; compet(ent) + -ence
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If his defining characteristic weren’t competence, Piggy could easily insert him into a cover of “Manchild” instead of duetting with Carpenter in a performance of “Islands in the Stream.”
From Salon
Health policy in the EU is a national competence, but by proposing the existing "European Social Fund Plus" the Commission says each member state can decide how they use it.
From BBC
Credibility, I assumed, was built by projecting competence and composure, not by exposing flaws.
From fewer opportunities to be promoted to perceived competence at a job, researchers have found that mothers earn less money with each additional child they have.
From Salon
Just care — delivered with competence and a smile.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
