All 9 Uses

competent
in
Wish You Well
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Lou and Oz rode Sue every day and had gotten to the point where Louisa had proclaimed them good, competent riders.†
Chpt 25 *

competent = sufficiently capable
And what is your expert opinion on her mental competence?†
Chpt 38

competence = ability
She is not mentally competent.†
Chpt 38

competent = sufficiently capable
And how many did you find incompetent, sir?†
Chpt 38

incompetent = not sufficiently capable

standard 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.
Dr. Ross, how many stroke victims have you examined to determine whether they're mentally competent?†
Chpt 38

competent = sufficiently capable
Atkins said to the cluster of men, "You are hereby instructed to take no notice whatsoever of Dr. Ross saying that Miss Cardinal would not recover, for he is most assuredly not competent to testify to that."†
Chpt 38
As of right now Dr. Ross's testimony is that Miss Cardinal is not competent.†
Chpt 38
It's not about whether Louisa Mae Cardinal is competent or not.†
Chpt 39
"Judge, I think Dr. Barnes is fully competent to answer that question as an expert witness," said Cotton.†
Chpt 39

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)
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.