competent

Competent is an adjective meaning having the necessary skill, knowledge, or ability to perform a task successfully. It often connotes adequacy and reliability rather than exceptional excellence. A competent person can apply relevant competencies to achieve an expected outcome, and a process or procedure may be described as competent if it consistently meets standards or requirements.

The word derives from Latin competens, from competere, meaning to fit together, meet, or be suitable. In English, the related nouns competence and competency denote the state or quality of being competent. The choice between competence and competency can vary by region and context, but both convey the idea of sufficient capability.

In practice, competence is discussed across domains such as work, education, and law. Professional competence encompasses knowledge, skills, and performance capability, often reinforced through training and verification such as certifications or assessments. In legal and administrative contexts, competent can describe a person legally capable of performing duties (for example, a competent witness or a competent authority) or, in some usages, admissible evidence. Culturally or socially, the idea of competence can extend to areas like cultural competence, which refers to the ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Antonyms include incompetent, inadequate, and unqualified. Related terms include the noun forms competence or competency, which focus on the overall state of having the required capabilities, and the adjective proficient, which signals a higher level of skill than merely competent.