as in ability
the physical or mental power to do something
questioned his competence to finish the task without help
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Recent Examples of competence
What does dreading my smartwatch’s interpretation of my athletic competence say about me?
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Cate Twining-Ward, The Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2024
As a driver with a track record of competence and success, Maggio could be the key to a team's successful season.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
My father never once showed any authority or competence as the head of a household.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
Posts may leave us questioning our qualifications, competence, and intelligence.
—Dr. Angélica S. Gutiérrez, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for competence 
Cate Twining-Ward, The Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2024
As a driver with a track record of competence and success, Maggio could be the key to a team's successful season.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
My father never once showed any authority or competence as the head of a household.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
Posts may leave us questioning our qualifications, competence, and intelligence.
—Dr. Angélica S. Gutiérrez, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for competence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competence
Noun
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Prime Video added more this season with pressure alerts, defensive vulnerabilities, and the ability to identify if a team is in man or zone coverage.Joe Reedy, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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This achievement also highlights their ability to adapt and evolve, continually raising the bar in the competitive tourism landscape.Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And as the temperature of the air rises, so does its capacity to hold water.Samuel Granados, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
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Research across disciplines confirms that our capacity to learn or perform effectively diminishes after a certain amount of effort.Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Researchers and startups hope that these kinds of foundational models could give robots used in factories and homes more sophisticated capabilities.Will Knight, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2025
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Second, geographic insulation and wealth foster a sense of detachment from global affairs by shielding the country from external threats, leading to chronic underinvestment in military and diplomatic capabilities.Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Senate Democrats today plan to approach what will be weeks of Cabinet confirmation hearings with tough questions for Trump’s pending nominees, hoping to use the confirmation process to inflame doubts about some candidates’ veracity, competency, qualifications and agendas.Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
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While SpaceX's competency with reusing Falcon 9 boosters gets a lot of attention—landing a rocket is still incredible, even after seeing it nearly 400 times—its manufacturing prowess with Falcon 9 upper stages suggests that building 100 Starships each year just might be doable someday.Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 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 Jan. 2025.
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