as in ability
the physical or mental power to do something
questioned his competence to finish the task without help
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of competence
Only when competence and reasonableness rule the day in policymaking will anything change.
—
Tim Anaya, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Image In person, dressed in black pants and a black leather blazer that gave her a vaguely edgy air, Ms. Wiles projected nothing more than a friendly, crisp competence.
—Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Anyone overseeing others must develop self-awareness, technical competence and human skills.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before to restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government.
—Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for competence 
Tim Anaya, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Image In person, dressed in black pants and a black leather blazer that gave her a vaguely edgy air, Ms. Wiles projected nothing more than a friendly, crisp competence.
—Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Anyone overseeing others must develop self-awareness, technical competence and human skills.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before to restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government.
—Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for competence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competence
Noun
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While moving Chisolm back to second would seem to be an improvement, the problem is not as much his fielding ability as his availability.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Her combat style is built on strategy and the ability to control situations with minimal effort.—
Kevin Cassidy,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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All of the Razorbacks' games are expected to be streamed in some capacity.—
Sam Lane,
arkansasonline.com,
7 Feb. 2025
-
LaCroix is a community capacity builder with Disability Hub MN.—
Kay Johnson,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The company’s mass-market brand Mona launched its first car in August with some driver-assistance capabilities.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2025
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Not everybody has capabilities to be impact players.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Develop Leaders Who Can Navigate Change Effectively Change readiness is, ultimately, a core competency for leadership.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
6 Feb. 2025
-
The twinkly-eyed British designer, whose optimistic sense of humor is allied with all kinds of professional competencies, has a surprise or two up his sleeve.—
Sarah Mower,
Vogue,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near competence
Cite this Entry
“Competence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competence. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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