competent

«competent» in Mova's school dictionary: able to do something well enough or properly — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (competent; more competent)

meaning for a pupil

1) Competent means able to do something well enough or properly. tree →

2) (law) Allowed or able by law to decide or act. tree →

sense in the lessons

In school reports (a competent reader), jobs (a competent driver), safety and law.

examples

• She is a competent swimmer now. tree →
• We need a competent adult to supervise. tree →
• The doctor was calm and competent. tree →
• He's a competent cook but not a great one. tree →
• Is he competent to sign the papers? tree →
• Only a competent adult should use the chainsaw. tree →
• He engaged a competent dragon to look after her, and also a respectable griffin whose birth and upbringing he knew all about. tree →

note

«Competent» can sound like «OK, good enough», not «excellent». Opposite: incompetent. Pattern: competent at/in something.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «competent» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.