competency

play

noun com·pe·ten·cy \ˈkäm-pə-tən(t)-sē\

Definition of competency

plural

competencies

: competence raised the issue of the defendant's competency to stand trial

See competency defined for English-language learners

See competency defined for kids

Examples of competency in a Sentence

Critics have questioned the director's competency.
she's proved that she has the competency to run a major company

Recent Examples of competency from the Web

Worse, after the IPO, foreign investors may start demanding the company stick to its core competency -- pumping crude.

— javier blas, Bloomberg.com, "From Oil Gushers to Golf Balls: Saudi Aramco Bets on Chemicals", 2 July 2017
A judge said the court had to determine her competency before accepting a guilty plea.

— fox59, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana mother sentenced to 130 years in Amber Alert deaths of her children", 29 June 2017
A judge agreed to send a Crown Point man charged with two counts of murder to the Logansport State Hospital for a forensic psychological evaluation to determine his mental competency to stand trial.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Competency evaluation ordered for Crown Point man charged with strangling 2 women to death", 22 June 2017
Maven is building on GM's core competencies and helping to develop a new customer base as customers for life.

— carol cain, Detroit Free Press, "Why Maven is such a good bet for GM", 17 June 2017
At times, defendants can be restored to competency only to later be deemed incompetent again.

— deanna boyd, star-telegram, "Insanity defense planned for pianist’s wife accused of smothering her children", 16 June 2017
What’s the difference between competency and sanity?

— deanna boyd, star-telegram, "Insanity defense planned for pianist’s wife accused of smothering her children", 16 June 2017
Mathcounts is a nationwide program for middle school students, established to boost math competency.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "North County School News, June 15", 15 June 2017
Stick to competency questions of nominees, Sen. Sanders — or people may question your own.

— dp opinion, The Denver Post, "Sanders out of line to question federal nominee’s religious beliefs", 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'competency'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of competency

see competent

NEW!

First Known Use: 1596

See Words from the same year

COMPETENCY Defined for English Language Learners

competency

play

noun

Definition of competency for English Language Learners

: an ability or skill

Medical Dictionary

competency

play

noun com·pe·ten·cy \-ən-sē\

Medical Definition of competency

plural

competencies

: competence

Law Dictionary

competency

play

noun com·pe·ten·cy \ˈkäm-pə-tən-sē\

Legal Definition of competency

1 : the quality or state of being mentally competent — compare capacity, incompetence, insanity
2 : the quality or state of being legally qualified or adequate the competency, quantum and legal effect of evidence — State v. Scoggin, 72 S.E.2d 54 (1952)