Coherent
/kəʊˈhɪə.ɹənt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjUnified; sticking together; making up a whole.
adjOrderly, logical and consistent.
Sentence Examples
Our tax system is still without coherent philosophy.
Cultures have a coherent view of the world.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her speech was surprisingly ____ given her nervousness on stage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was so nervous that he couldn't form a ____ sentence tonight.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin haereō Latin cohaereō Latin cohaerēnsder. Middle French coherentder. English coherent From Middle French coherent, from Latin cohaērēns, from co- + haereō. By surface analysis, cohere + -ent.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"These people professed that the universe was one coherent thing; but they were not fond of the universe."
— 1909, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, chapter IV, in Orthodoxy:
"A sentence like this one cannot be understood unless somehow we can store the underlined words for several seconds, while we wait for the rest of the sentence to arrive, with the information needed to complete a coherent thought."
— 1997, Bernard J. Baars, “Psychology in a World of Sentient, Self-Knowing Beings: A Modest Utopian Fantasy”, in Robert L. Solso, editor, Mind and Brain Sciences in the 21st Century, MIT Press, published 1999, →ISBN, page 7:
"Anglia, is part of a wider phenomenon of the seventh century - the development of recognisable, coherent kingdoms from the fragmented tribal society which emerged from the ruins of Roman Britain."
— 2005, Tom Williamson, Sandlands: The Suffolk Coast and Heaths, Windgather, published 2005, →ISBN, page 15:
"She intimidated me so much that I could hardly get out a coherent sentence in her presence."
— 2011, Claire Klein Datnow, Behind the Walled Garden of Apartheid: Growing Up White in Segregated South Africa, Media Mint Publishing, published 2011, →ISBN, page 124:
"At present she is unable to give any coherent account of the past, and the doctors hold out no hopes of the reestablishment of her reason."
— 1904 December, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Second Stain”, in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., published February 1905, →OCLC:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her speech was surprisingly ____ given her nervousness on stage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was so nervous that he couldn't form a ____ sentence tonight.