All 6 Uses of
competent
in
The Bourne Identity
- Twenty minutes ago their trap fell apart; there's got to be confusion, recriminations, accusations of incompetency, or worse.†
Chpt 14incompetency = inability to do things sufficientlystandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incompetency means not and reverses the meaning of competency. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- Or incredibly incompetent.†
Chpt 16incompetent = not sufficiently capablestandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incompetent means not and reverses the meaning of competent. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- Frankly, we don't think you're competent.†
Chpt 17 *competent = sufficiently capable
- "Competent?" repeated Lavier, as if she did not believe what she had heard.†
Chpt 17
- The Republic was corrupt, the military incompetent, the Maginot a joke.†
Chpt 25incompetent = not sufficiently capablestandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incompetent means not and reverses the meaning of competent. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- I pay thousands-hundreds of thousands-for incompetence and failure.†
Chpt 25incompetence = inability to do things sufficientlystandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incompetence means not and reverses the meaning of competence. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(competent) capable (able to do something in a generally satisfactory manner) -- sometimes specifically to have legal capability
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
In the field of law, competent has the specialized meaning of being legally qualified to do something such as to be mentally fit to make reasonable decisions; or to have jurisdiction or authority to take an action.
In classic literature, a competency can refer to having an income or assets to support living expenses.