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proficiency

pruh-FISH-un-see /prəˈfɪʃnsi/

nounC1IELTSTOEFLGRE

FormalAcademic

A high degree of skill or expertise in a particular craft or field.

Proficiency implies a level of mastery that allows someone to perform a task smoothly and without many errors.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'proficere', which means 'to make progress' or 'to go forward'. It combines 'pro-' (forward) and 'facere' (to do/make). A proficient person is someone who has 'made progress' to the point of being skilled.

Word relationships

expertise: Expertise is the highest level of knowledge; proficiency is the high level of skill in applying that knowledge.
mastery: Mastery implies total control or dominance over a subject; proficiency is a high, functional level of skill.

ineptitude: Ineptitude is a complete lack of skill, while proficiency is a high level of it.

Commonly confused with

efficiency: Efficiency is doing things quickly and without waste; proficiency is doing them with high skill.

Word family

proficient (adjective): Skilled and experienced.
proficiently (adverb): In a skilled or expert manner.

Collocations

language proficiency
technical proficiency
demonstrate proficiency
level of proficiency

Example sentences

"The candidate demonstrated full proficiency in both written and spoken Mandarin." Language skills on a CV.
"Proficiency in any field requires at least ten thousand hours of deliberate practice." A quote on skill development.

Memory hook

A 'pro' has 'proficiency'. Moving forward to mastery.

When not to use

Don't use 'proficiency' for basic knowledge. It suggests a level of 'doing' rather than just 'knowing'.

Fun facts

In the Middle Ages, 'proficiency' was often used in a religious sense to describe progress in one's spiritual life.