competent

1. 1.

   properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient

   “a competent typist”

   Antonymsincompetent

   Similarableeffectiveworkmanlike
2. 2.

   adequate, but not outstanding or exceptional

   “a competent performance”

   Similaradequate
3. 3.

   legally qualified or sufficient

   “a competent court”

   “competent testimony”

   Antonymsincompetent

Questions about competent

What does competent mean?

competent means "properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in competent?

competent has 3 syllables: com-pe-tent. The stress falls on "com". In IPA it is /ˈkɑmpətɪnt/.

What is the opposite of competent?

The recorded antonyms are incompetent, incompetent.

Is competent a common word?

competent is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.