From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Competent \Com"pe*tent\ (k[o^]m"p[-e]*tent; 94), adjective [F. comp['e]tent, p. pr. of comp['e]ter to be in the competency of, LL. competere to strive after together, to agree with; hence, to be fit. See {Compete}.]
1. Answering to all requirements; adequate; sufficient; suitable; capable; legally qualified; fit. ''A competent knowledge of the world.'' --Atterbury. ''Competent age.'' --Grafton. ''Competent statesmen.'' --Palfrey. /''A competent witness.'' --Bouvier.
2. Rightfully or properly belonging; incident; -- followed by to. [Rare, except in legal usage.]
That is the privilege of the infinite Author of things, . . . but is not competent to any finite being. --Locke.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient; "a competent typist" [ant: {incompetent}]
2: adequate for the purpose; "a competent performance"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
119 Moby Thesaurus words for "competent": OK, able, absolute, acceptable, actionable, adapted, adept, adequate, adjusted, all right, ample, applicable, ascendant, au fait, authoritarian, authoritative, authorized, autocratic, barely sufficient, capable, checked out, clothed with authority, comfortable, commanding, commensurate, consequential, considerable, constitutional, controlling, corresponding, decent, dominant, due, duly constituted, effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, eminent, empowered, enough, equal to, ex officio, finished, fit, fitted, fitted for, good, good enough, governing, great, hegemonic, hegemonistic, imperative, important, influential, journeyman, judicial, juridical, just, justiciable, kosher, lawful, lawmaking, leading, legal, legislative, legit, legitimate, licit, masterly, mighty, minimal, minimum, momentous, monocratic, official, okay, plenty, plenty good enough, polished, potent, powerful, preeminent, prepared, prestigious, productive, proficient, prominent, proper, proportionate, puissant, qualified, ranking, rightful, ruling, sanctioned, satisfactory, senior, statutory, substantial, sufficient, sufficient for, sufficing, suitable, suited, superior, supreme, totalitarian, up to, up to snuff, valid, weighty, well-fitted, well-qualified, well-suited, wicked, within the law, worthy
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