competency
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the ability to do something well or to the required standard.
the quality or state of having sufficient knowledge, judgment, or skill for a particular duty or task.
Simple“The job description lists several core competencies, including teamwork and communication.”
In context“The human resources department developed a new framework to assess the technical competency of senior engineering candidates during the interview process.”
UsageOften used in the plural ('competencies') when referring to specific professional skills.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a person's legal ability to make their own decisions or understand a trial.
the legal capacity of an individual to participate in legal proceedings or to be held accountable for their actions.
Simple“The judge had to decide on the defendant's mental competency to stand trial.”
In context“Legal experts questioned the witness's competency, arguing that his cognitive decline prevented him from providing reliable testimony.”
UsageFrequently appears in the phrase 'competency to stand trial'.
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the natural, internal knowledge a person has of their own language.
the abstract, internalised knowledge of a language's grammar and rules, distinguished from 'performance'.
Simple“Even if you make a mistake while speaking, your underlying linguistic competency remains the same.”
In context“Chomsky's distinction between competency and performance suggests that a speaker's actual output may not always reflect their total grammatical knowledge.”
Teacher's tipIn linguistics, this is a technical term contrasted with 'performance' (how a person actually speaks).
Synonymslinguistic knowledgeAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
having enough money or resources to live comfortably.
a sufficient supply of means or a sustainable income to provide for one's needs.
Simple“He retired to the countryside once he had secured a modest competency.”
In context“In nineteenth-century novels, characters often strive to marry someone with a comfortable competency to ensure their social standing.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is rarely found in modern speech and is mostly encountered in 18th and 19th-century literature.
SynonymsAntonyms
“A widely cited 2019 Harvard Business Review analysis, for instance, found women outscored men on most leadership competencies.”
“I took a long time to accept that my own violin competency was gone for ever.”
From Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competence.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.