competence

Plural: competences

Noun

• the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually
• The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
• The quality or state of being able or suitable for a particular task; the quality or state of being competent for a particular task or skill.
• The system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, as opposed to its actual use in concrete situations (performance), cf. linguistic competence.
• A sustainable income.
• the legal authority to deal with a matter.
• The degree to which a rock is resistant to deformation or flow.

Examples

• The bill was denied royal assent because the Scottish Parliament does not have legislative competence on the bill's matter.

Synonyms

competency, ability, aptitude, knack, nous, savoir-faire

Antonyms

incompetence, inability, ineptitude

Related Words

compete, competentness, competition