COMPETENCY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does competency mean? 

• COMPETENCY (noun)
  The noun COMPETENCY has 1 sense:

1. the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually

  Familiarity information: COMPETENCY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMPETENCY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

competence; competency

Hypernyms ("competency" is a kind of...):

ability (the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "competency"):

fitness (the quality of being qualified)

linguistic competence ((linguistics) a speaker's implicit, internalized knowledge of the rules of their language (contrasted with linguistic performance))

proficiency (the quality of having great facility and competence)

Derivation:

competent (adequate, but not outstanding or exceptional)

competent (properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient)

 Context examples 

An organization with the capability and competency to perform scientific research, experiments and measurements.

(Laboratory, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

In medicine, one goal of cultural competency is to help make sure that the quality of the healthcare is equal among different cultural groups.

(Cultural competency, NCI Dictionary)

The instruments of transfer were drawn out: St. John, Diana, Mary, and I, each became possessed of a competency.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

If J.E., who advertised in the —shire Herald of last Thursday, possesses the acquirements mentioned, and if she is in a position to give satisfactory references as to character and competency, a situation can be offered her where there is but one pupil, a little girl, under ten years of age; and where the salary is thirty pounds per annum.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)