noun · 3 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.
prəˈfiSHənsē
/pɹəˈfɪʃənsi/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R AH0 F IH1 SH AH0 N S IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Ability, skill, competence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
to attain (or to reach) proficiency
a test of proficiency in English
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the quality of having great facility and competence
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: competence, competency
3
noun
Meaning 3
skillfulness in the command of fundamentals deriving from practice and familiarity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
practice greatly improves proficiency
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: technique
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: skillfulness
Narrower terms: brushwork, musketry
History
Etymology
From proficient or its etymon, Latin prōficiēns (present participle of prōficiō), + -ency.
Across languages
Translations
62 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
aftësi
— ability or skill
Arabic:
إِمْكَان
(ʔimkān)
— ability or skill
Bulgarian:
умение
(umenie)
— ability or skill
Bulgarian:
опитност
(opitnost)
— ability or skill
Catalan:
habilitat
— ability or skill
Catalan:
competència
— ability or skill
Chinese Mandarin:
水平
(shuǐpíng)
— ability or skill
Chinese Mandarin:
熟練 /熟练
(shúliàn)
— ability or skill
Dutch:
competentie
— ability or skill
Dutch:
vakkundigheid
— ability or skill
Finnish:
pätevyys
— ability or skill
Finnish:
taitavuus
— ability or skill
French:
compétence
— ability or skill
Galician:
competencia
— ability or skill
German:
Kompetenz
— ability or skill
German:
Können
— ability or skill
German:
Begabung
— ability or skill
German:
Befähigung
— ability or skill
German:
Fähigkeit
— ability or skill
German:
Sachverständnis
— ability or skill
German:
Sachkunde
— ability or skill
German:
Beschlagenheit
— ability or skill
German:
Fertigkeit
— ability or skill
German:
Tüchtigkeit
— ability or skill
German:
Leistung
— ability or skill
Hebrew:
בקיאות
— ability or skill
Hindi:
प्रवीणता
(pravīṇtā)
— ability or skill
Hindi:
कुशलता
(kuśaltā)
— ability or skill
Ido:
kompetenteso
— ability or skill
Italian:
abilità
— ability or skill
Italian:
perizia
— ability or skill
Italian:
competenza
— ability or skill
Italian:
conoscenza
— ability or skill
Japanese:
上達
(jyōtatsu)
— ability or skill
Japanese:
習熟度
(shūjukudo)
— ability or skill
Japanese:
習熟
(shūjuku)
— ability or skill
Japanese:
熟練度
(jukurendo)
— ability or skill
Japanese:
熟練
(jukuren)
— ability or skill
Polish:
biegłość
— ability or skill
Portuguese:
proficiência
— ability or skill
Portuguese:
capacidade
— ability or skill
Portuguese:
competência
— ability or skill
Romanian:
competență
— ability or skill
Russian:
уме́ние
(uménije)
— ability or skill
Russian:
спосо́бность
(sposóbnostʹ)
— ability or skill
Russian:
мастерство́
(masterstvó)
— ability or skill
