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Competence vs Incompetence - What's the difference?

competence | incompetence | Antonyms |

Incompetence is a antonym of competence.



As nouns the difference between competence and incompetence

is that competence is the quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role while incompetence is inability to perform; lack of competence; ineptitude.

competence

English

Noun

  • (uncountable) The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
  • * 2005 , Lies Sercu and Ewa Bandura, Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Competence: An International Investigation :
    • Teachers are now required to teach intercultural communicative competence .
  • (countable) The quality or state of being able or suitable for a particular task; the quality or state of being competent for a particular task.
  • * 1961 , National Council for Elementary Science (U.S.), Science Education :
    • What professional competences do science teachers need?
  • A sustainable income.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, / Lie in three words — health, peace, and competence .
  • * 1811 , Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility , chapter 17
    • “money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it. Beyond a competence , it can afford no real satisfaction, as far as mere self is concerned.”
  • (countable) In law, the legal authority to deal with a matter.
    • That question is out with the competence of this court and must be taken to a higher court.

    Synonyms

    * ability * competency * nous * savoir-faire * knack (colloq.) * aptitude * See also

    Antonyms

    * inability * ineptitude * incompetence

    Related terms

    * compete * competition * competentness

    References

    *

    incompetence

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • Inability to perform; lack of competence; ineptitude.
  • * 1851:
    • ... at the head of a crew, too, chiefly made up of mongrel renegades, and castaways, and cannibals--morally enfeebled also, by the incompetence of mere unaided virtue or right-mindedness in Starbuck
  • * 1949:
    • Winston did not know why Withers had been disgraced. Perhaps it was for corruption or incompetence . Perhaps Big Brother was merely getting rid of a too-popular subordinate.
  • * 1974:
    • The factory where she worked was a poisonous mass of incompetence , favoritism, and sabotage.

    Related terms

    * competency * incompetency