as in abilities
the physical or mental power to do something
questioned his competence to finish the task without help
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Recent Examples of competences
Over billions of years, increasingly greater competences evolved.
—
Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Jonny Thomson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competences
Noun
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OpenMind, a robotics software company, has launched a new robot app store designed to let humanoid and quadruped robots gain new skills and abilities.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
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Neem oil affects insects' feeding abilities and acts as a repellent.—
Jon VanZile,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Earlier in the week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed an emerging type of knowledge work, with new competencies based on how AI was reshaping hierarchies and the way information flows through society.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
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Employees with these technical and strategic competencies are better positioned to navigate turnover and thrive in organizations that reward impact and execution speed over tenure or traditional hierarchy.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competences. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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