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Capable

adj. capable professional

What it means

Able to handle responsibilities effectively through skill and judgment.

Reach for it when giving confident, general praise for someone's ability to deliver

The capable coordinator rerouted three deliveries without losing a single appointment.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
warm
professional
formal

  • everyday

    able

    Fits when simple confirmation of capacity is all the sentence needs

    Careful Able is neutral and weaker as praise for demonstrated judgment.

  • warm

    resourceful

    Fits when finding answers with limited means is the admired strength

    Careful Resourcefulness is only one route to capable performance.

  • professional

    competent

    Fits when the required standard is met reliably

    Careful Competent can sound like minimum adequacy, while capable often signals room for more.

  • professional

    effective

    Fits when results, rather than the person's range, are being evaluated

    Careful A narrow tactic can be effective without its operator being generally capable.

  • professional

    qualified

    Fits when credentials or formal eligibility are decisive

    Careful Credentials can make someone qualified before their practical capability is known.

  • professional

    skilled

    Fits when learned proficiency in a particular activity is evident

    Careful Skilled needs an area of practice; capable can cover broader responsibility.

  • formal

    accomplished

    Fits when a record of high achievement supports the description

    Careful It overstates a promising beginner who is capable but not established.

  • formal

    proficient

    Fits when a defined technique has been mastered to a solid level

    Careful Proficiency in one tool does not establish that someone is broadly capable.

Opposites 3

  • incapable
  • incompetent
  • ineffective

Common phrases 3

  • highly capable

    The highly capable deputy took over the operation with no loss of continuity.

  • capable hands

    We left the restoration in capable hands and received weekly updates.

  • capable leader

    A capable leader gave the specialists room to challenge her plan.

Word family 2

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated