COMPETENCY Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

competency

noun

ˈkäm-pə-tən(t)-sē

Definition of competency

as in ability

the physical or mental power to do something she's proved that she has the competency to run a major company

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of competency Friendships give teens space to develop social skills, learn emotional competencies and explore identity. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The tie-up between Ultra and Physical Intelligence thus reflects a clever division of labor and distribution play—one that lets the former focus on its core robot-building competency, while PI gets out-of-the-lab data to better train its models. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Ragusa and Carney shared the areas of concern with city administrators and recommended a competency audit, according to the lawsuit. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 So the biggest thing for us was to stay focused on our core competency, which is retail first and digital second. — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for competency

Recent Examples of Synonyms for competency

Noun

The ability for anyone to generate strategy, code, or creative work in seconds effectively filled in the moats built on blitzscaling overnight.

— Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
This gives voters the ability to reelect or change the majority of the City Commission every two years.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of ability

Noun

But can a single supplier, no matter how competent and experienced, possibly be relied upon to deliver such a critical part of both forces’ future warfighting capacity?

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2026
High-ambition leaders building a new model of development deserve a high-ambition international financial system with the capacity to enable them to get there.

— Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of capacity

Noun

The Pentagon has bet its fighter jet future on Boeing, raising questions about competition, cost, and capability.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2026
The problem, Snegovaya said, is that achieving military autonomy for Europe and Ukraine is extremely difficult in the short term, and Europe has been slow to develop the necessary capabilities.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of capability

Noun

The playoffs are proof of competence, good scouting and style of play that leans more on fundamentals than home runs.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
What other research is being done A recent study examined whether AI models tend to infer characteristics such as trustworthiness or competence from faces.

— Ashique KhudaBukhsh, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of competence

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competencies

competency

competent

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“Competency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competency. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of competency

noun

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