Ability
Ability noun - The physical or mental power to do something.
Usage example: as a result of the accident the once-vigorous athlete lost the ability to walk
Competence is a synonym for ability in skill topic. In some cases you can use "Competence" instead a noun "Ability", when it comes to topics like talent, perform, fitness, capability. popular alternative
Nearby Word: able
Competence
Competence noun - The physical or mental power to do something.
Usage example: questioned his competence to finish the task without help
Ability is a synonym for competence in skill topic. You can use "Ability" instead a noun "Competence", if it concerns topics such as talent, fitness, capability, potential. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
| high | high ability | high competence |
| physical | physical ability | physical competence |
| exceptional | exceptional ability | exceptional competence |
| actual | actual ability | actual competence |
| Other adjectives: extreme, great, little, remarkable, extraordinary, new, incredible, mental, general, less, greater, basic, magical, technical, tactical, newfound. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- Researchers such as Dunning and Kruger have studied for years how well most people estimate their own ability levels or competence and the ability levels or competence of other people.
Source: Innocently Insensitive -
Thor and Captain America are also shown to be deeply angry and frustrated over the issue, believing that the Avengers should base their recruitment on actual talent, ability, competence, teamwork and dedication and not on ethnicity.
Source: Political Correctness Gone Mad - In particular, companies are prohibited from discriminating based on competence, so they aren't able to use a potential employee's ability to actually do the job as a hiring criteria.
Source: Incompetence, Inc.
Cite this Source
Competence and Ability. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/ability/competence
Ability & Competence. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/ability/competence>.
Competence or Ability. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/ability/competence.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "ability" and "competence" have occurred on timeline