qualified

qualified — adjective

1. having the right skills, training, or knowledge required for a particular job, p

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having the right skills, training, or knowledge required for a particular job, position, or activity

Example

After six years of study, Diya became a qualified nurse and started work at the city hospital.

be + qualified + noun phrase for a profession

The school is looking for a qualified maths teacher who can also coach sports.

Common collocations
  • highly qualified
  • well qualified
  • qualified nurse / teacher / engineer / accountant
  • qualified to do something
  • qualified for a position / role
Synonyms
  • competent

    focuses on having enough ability rather than formal credentials

  • certified

    emphasises official documentation or a licence, often for regulated professions

  • trained

    stresses practical preparation through instruction, not necessarily a certificate

  • eligible

    means meeting the rules or conditions for something, not possessing the skill itself

Antonyms
  • unqualified

    the direct opposite — lacking the necessary training or skills

Grammar Patterns

be qualified + to-infinitive

be qualified + for + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used before job titles (qualified nurse, qualified engineer, qualified teacher) to indicate formal certification or training. Can also be used with 'highly' or 'well' (highly qualified staff, well qualified for the role).

Common Mistakes

She is qualified of being a lawyer.
She is qualified to be a lawyer.
'qualified' takes 'to + infinitive', not 'of + verb-ing'.
I am qualified for to apply.
I am qualified to apply.
do not combine 'for' and 'to' together.

2. not complete or total; with conditions or restrictions attached

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not complete or total; with conditions or restrictions attached

Example

The committee offered only qualified support, saying they needed more time to review the details.

qualified + support

Her performance in the play earned qualified praise — the audience liked the energy but found some scenes confusing.

Common collocations
  • qualified approval
  • qualified success
  • qualified support
  • qualified praise
  • qualified agreement
  • a qualified yes
Synonyms
  • conditional

    stresses that something depends on another factor; slightly more formal

  • limited

    general word for 'not full'; less formal than 'qualified' in this sense

  • restricted

    implies boundaries placed around something, often by rules or authority

  • modified

    suggests the original was changed rather than limited from the start

Antonyms
  • unqualified

    the opposite — complete, total, and without reservations (unqualified support)

  • absolute

    means without any limits or conditions whatsoever

  • unconditional

    emphasises that no conditions or requirements are attached

Grammar Patterns

qualified + abstract noun (approval, success, support)

a/the + qualified + noun

Usage Note

Almost always appears before an abstract noun (approval, success, support, praise, agreement, endorsement). Unlike sense 1, this sense is NOT used before job titles or with 'to + infinitive'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the type of noun: concrete roles → sense 1; abstract evaluations → sense 2.

Common Mistakes

It was a qualified opinion from the doctor.
It was a qualified opinion from the lawyer.
in everyday English, 'qualified opinion' is a legal/auditing term, not a general adjective use; for general 'not full praise', use 'qualified approval/support'.

❌ 'He gave a qualified answer which showed he knew the topic well.' (intended as compliment) — A 'qualified answer' usually means it had reservations, so this sounds negative. Use 'well-informed answer' instead.

Word family

  • qualify
    verbB1
  • qualification
    nounB1
  • qualifier
    nounB2
  • unqualified
    adjectiveB2
  • disqualified
    adjectiveB2
  • overqualified
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Qualified, competent, certified, trained, and eligible all relate to readiness for a role, but they differ in emphasis. Qualified is the broadest — it combines formal credentials (a diploma or licence) with actual ability; a qualified accountant has both passed the exam and can do the job. Competent focuses purely on ability: someone can be competent without formal papers. Certified is narrower — it means an official body has issued a certificate, often for regulated jobs like nursing or piloting. Trained stresses the learning process rather than the outcome: a trained first-aider has done the course but may not hold a current certificate. Eligible is different — it means meeting the rules (age, citizenship, experience) rather than having the skill itself; a 16-year-old is eligible to drive in some places but may not be qualified yet. For everyday use: say 'qualified' when you mean both the papers and the ability; say 'competent' when you care only about results; say 'certified' when the licence matters most.

qualified ↗competent ↗certifiedtrainedeligible ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • qualified to lead
  • qualified for the role
  • qualified by experience

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'qualified' comes from Latin 'qualis' meaning 'of what kind'. In medieval Latin, 'qualificare' meant 'to determine what kind of thing something is'. This passed into French as 'qualifier' and then into English as 'qualify' in the 1500s, originally meaning 'to describe' or 'to attribute a quality to'. The sense 'to limit or modify' (what you do when you describe something precisely) appeared in the 1600s. The passive adjective 'qualified' then split two ways: by the 1700s it meant 'having the necessary qualities' (from the idea of being described as fit for a role), and also 'limited or restricted by conditions' (from the idea of modifying a statement). Both modern adjective senses trace back to the same root idea of determining quality.