noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈkɒm.pə.təns/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈkɑm.pə.təns/
Canada:/ˈkɒm.pə.təns/
Canada:/ˈkɑm.pə.təns/
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈkɔm.pə.təns/
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈkɒm.pə.təns/
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 M P AH0 T IH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A sustainable income.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
the legal authority to deal with a matter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: government, law, politics
Examples
The bill was denied royal assent because the Scottish Parliament does not have legislative competence on the bill's matter.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The degree to which a rock is resistant to deformation or flow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: competency
Antonyms: incompetence
Broader terms: ability
Narrower terms: fitness, linguistic competence, proficiency
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French compétence, from Late Latin competentia. Doublet of competency.
Across languages
Translations
71 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bengali:
আহলিয়াত
(ahliẏat)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Bulgarian:
способност
(sposobnost)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Bulgarian:
умение
(umenie)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Bulgarian:
вещина
(veština)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Catalan:
competència
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Dutch:
competentie
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Dutch:
bekwaamheid
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Finnish:
pätevyys
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Finnish:
kompetenssi
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
French:
compétence
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Galician:
competencia
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Georgian:
კომპეტენტურობა
(ḳomṗeṭenṭuroba)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
German:
Kompetenz
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
German:
Befähigung
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
German:
Zuständigkeit
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Hebrew:
יכולת
(yekhólet)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Hebrew:
סמכות
(samkhút)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Hindi:
दक्षता
(dakṣatā)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Italian:
competenza
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Māori:
āheinga
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Persian:
باعرضه
(bâ'-orze)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Polish:
kompetencja
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Portuguese:
competência
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Russian:
спосо́бность
(sposóbnostʹ)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Russian:
уме́ние
(uménije)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Russian:
компете́нтность
(kompeténtnostʹ)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Spanish:
competenza
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Turkish:
yetki
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Turkish:
yetkinlik
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Ukrainian:
компете́нтність
(kompeténtnistʹ)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Ukrainian:
компете́нція
(kompeténcija)
— the quality or state of being competent for a general role
Bengali:
আহলিয়াত
(ahliẏat)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Bulgarian:
компетентност
(kompetentnost)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Bulgarian:
правомощие
(pravomoštie)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Bulgarian:
мерода́вност
(merodávnost)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Catalan:
competència
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Dutch:
competentie
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Dutch:
bevoegdheid
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Finnish:
pätevyys
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Finnish:
kompetenssi
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
French:
compétence
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Galician:
competencia
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
German:
Kompetenz
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
German:
Sachkunde
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
German:
Befugnis
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
German:
Können
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Hebrew:
סמכות
(samkhút)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Hindi:
दक्षता
(dakṣatā)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Hungarian:
hozzáértés
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Persian:
باعرضه
(bâ'-orze)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Portuguese:
competência
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Russian:
компете́нтность
(kompeténtnostʹ)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Russian:
правомо́чие
(pravomóčije)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Russian:
компете́нция
(kompeténcija)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Swedish:
duglighet
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Turkish:
yetki
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Turkish:
yetkinlik
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Ottoman Turkish:
صنعت
(sanʼat, zanʼat)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Ottoman Turkish:
هنر
(hüner)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Ukrainian:
компете́нтність
(kompeténtnistʹ)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
Ukrainian:
компете́нція
(kompeténcija)
— the quality or state of being competent for a particular task
German:
Einkommen
— income
German:
Unterhalt
— income
Galician:
competencia
— legal authority to deal with a matter
Galician:
autoridade
— legal authority to deal with a matter
Galician:
postestade
— legal authority to deal with a matter
Galician:
facultade
— legal authority to deal with a matter
German:
Befugnis
— legal authority to deal with a matter
German:
Zuständigkeit
— legal authority to deal with a matter
Ukrainian:
компете́нтність
(kompeténtnistʹ)
— legal authority to deal with a matter
Ukrainian:
компете́нція
(kompeténcija)
— legal authority to deal with a matter
