competent vs self-sustaining

competent

adj
  • Adequate for the purpose. 

  • Resistant to deformation or flow. 

  • Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications. 

  • Having jurisdiction or authority over a particular issue or question. 

  • Permeable to foreign DNA. 

self-sustaining

adj
  • Able to provide for one's own needs without help from others; self-sufficient. 

  • Able to sustain itself without the need for additional fuel. 

  • Opposing or rejecting exterior influence; independent. 

How often have the words competent and self-sustaining occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )