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I need a word which means capable, confident, legitimate.

It should imply no negative connotation when used in this sentence:

He wanted to become a (more) ____ accountant.

“Legitimate” would not work, because it implies that he was not legitimate before.

It needs to imply that he was a working accountant before, but became more capable. A phrase may also work, but the primary focus is to find a single word that describes this.

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    Have you consulted a dictionary/thesaurus? Are "accomplished", "skilled", "competent" inadequate?
    – Daniil Agashiyev
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 2:25
  • "Skilled" should be considered, thought some might find it mildly strange when applied to "accountant" (rather than, say "mechanic" or "computer programmer").
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 4:34

3 Answers 3

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http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/competent

Competent, most likely.

  • having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully
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    "Competent" is often used with an implied negative connotation, to indicate the individual "meets requirements" but nothing more.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 4:31
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I would suggest the word Proficient as it implies a higher level of skill. Someone can be capable or legitimate without being proficient.

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  • Related is "credible", which implies that he has reached a level of skill and legitimacy such that peers or clients now believe him competent.
    – Brian Hitchcock
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 6:02
  • @Brian “He’s a credible accountant” to me sounds like he’s an actor whose impression of an accountant is so good that he could be believed to actually be one.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 14:20
  • @Janus Bahs Jacquet: touché. But if all the world's a stage... and he's good enough to fool his peers, what's the difference? that is, until he comes up against the CPA exam! (There's a reason I put that in a comment; I had a feeling it wasn't really a "credible" answer.)
    – Brian Hitchcock
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 8:06
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"Professional" would tap into concepts of both capability and legitimacy, since it implies both competence and some form of collective regulatory control.

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  • “Became a more professional accountant” could imply that he did not meet basic standards of professionalism before, and “became a professional accountant” implies that he was not employed as an accountant before.
    – Tyler James Young
    Commented Jan 5, 2015 at 16:52

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