coherent
coherent
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for coherent is /koʊˈhɪrənt/.
Syllable Breakdown
The word coherent is broken down by its sounds as follows:
co- (/koʊ/)
-her- (/ˈhɪr/ or /ˈhɛr/ in some accents)
-ent (/ənt/)
Word Form Variations
Coherent is primarily an adjective, so its variations relate to different parts of speech derived from the same root:
Noun forms:
coherence (the state or quality of being coherent)
coherency (less common variant of coherence)
Adverb form:
coherently (in a coherent manner)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective: coherent
Definitions:
Logical and Consistent: (Of an argument, theory, or policy) Clearly reasoned, logical, and forming a unified whole; making sense.
Example: She presented a coherent argument that addressed all of the opposition's points.
Articulate and Understandable: (Of a person, speech, or writing) Expressing oneself clearly and understandably; capable of verbalizing thoughts in a clear, well-structured way.
Example: After waking from the anesthesia, he was barely coherent.
Physically Sticking Together: (In physics or material science) Characterized by the property of sticking together; having a close, natural connection of parts.
Example: The wet sand forms a coherent mass.
Synonyms:
Logical and Consistent: rational, consistent, lucid, reasoned, sound, organized.
Articulate and Understandable: articulate, intelligible, clear, understandable.
Physically Sticking Together: adhesive, united, cohesive.
Antonyms:
Logical and Consistent: illogical, inconsistent, disconnected, disjointed, confused, rambling.
Articulate and Understandable: inarticulate, unintelligible, unclear, rambling.
Physically Sticking Together: separate, loose, non-adhesive.
Noun: coherence
Definitions:
State of Unity or Logic: The quality of being logical, consistent, or forming a unified whole; a clear or orderly relation of parts.
Example: The essay lacked coherence because the topics shifted without clear transitions.
Clarity of Expression: The act or ability of expressing oneself clearly and intelligibly.
Example: The therapist was concerned about the patient's sudden loss of coherence.
Physical Sticking Together: The tendency of similar particles or surfaces to stick together (often used interchangeably with cohesion).
Synonyms:
State of Unity or Logic: consistency, logicality, unity, structure, integrity, flow.
Clarity of Expression: clarity, lucidity, articulation, intelligibility.
Physical Sticking Together: cohesion, adherence, unity.
Antonyms:
State of Unity or Logic: inconsistency, illogicality, disconnectedness, confusion, rambling.
Clarity of Expression: inarticulateness, unintelligibility, vagueness.
Examples of Use
Journalism and Public Discourse
Political Commentary (Adjective): "The opposition leader struggled to present a coherent policy alternative to the current administration's economic plan, often contradicting herself in follow-up interviews."
Science Reporting (Adjective): "Scientists announced that the data, initially puzzling, now appear to form a coherent model explaining the planet's atmospheric loss." (Nature, August 2024)
Editorial (Noun - Coherence): "What the city council meeting desperately lacked was coherence—the agenda was too broad, and the discussion kept drifting into unrelated topics." (The Guardian, April 2024)
Literature and Publishing
Fiction (Adjective): "He had been muttering nonsense for hours, but by evening, his speech was finally coherent enough that we could understand his account of the accident."
Non-Fiction/Philosophy (Adjective): "The author's attempt to synthesize post-modern theory with classical ethics resulted in a text that was theoretically ambitious but ultimately failed to be fully coherent." (A Review of The Integrated Self, January 2023)
Entertainment and Media Platforms
Film Review (Adjective): "While the visual effects were stunning, the film's plot, jumping between three different timelines without clear segues, was barely coherent." (Film Threat, December 2023)
Video Game Development (Adjective/Noun - Coherence): "A major challenge in open-world games is maintaining coherent NPC behavior across a vast map, ensuring that the game's internal logic doesn't break down." (Game Developers Conference presentation, March 2024)
Podcast/Interview (Adverb - Coherently): "When asked about the new strategy, the CEO stumbled, unable to articulate the company's direction coherently." (TechCrunch podcast, June 2024)
Art Criticism (Adjective): "The new exhibit manages to take disparate elements—found objects, digital prints, and sculpture—and weave them into a single, aesthetically coherent statement." (Artforum, October 2024)
Technology and Academic Writing
Engineering/Physics (Adjective): "The team used a high-powered laser to generate a beam of coherent light for the fiber optic communication experiment."
Educational Writing (Adjective): "Students are expected to turn in a thesis that is not only well-researched but also structurally coherent, with clear topic sentences and logical paragraph transitions." (University Writing Handbook, 2024)
10 Famous Quotes Using Coherent
"The world makes much less sense than you think. The coherence comes mostly from the way your mind works." (Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow)
"The confidence people have in their beliefs is not a measure of the quality of evidence but of the coherence of the story the mind has managed to construct." (Daniel Kahneman)
"Civilization is a progress from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity toward a definite, coherent heterogeneity." (Herbert Spencer)
"Every human being is a raindrop. And when enough of the raindrops become clear and coherent they then become the power of the storm." (John Trudell)
"What we have to do is put this in a coherent form for them at the end of the day, and on the big events, give them the kind of context that they deserve." (Tom Brokaw)
"We are coming to understand health not as the absence of disease, but rather as the process by which individuals maintain their sense of coherence..." (Aaron Antonovsky)
"The best companies have a strategy that is simple, coherent, and clear." (Edward de Bono)
"This is a fundamental view of the world. It says that when you build a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent..." (Christopher Alexander)
"Small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos can shift the whole system to a higher order." (Barbara Marx Hubbard)
"The goal is nothing other than the coherence and completeness of the system not only in respect of all details, but also in respect of all physicists of all places, all times, all peoples, and all cultures." (Max Planck)
Etymology
The word coherent traces its roots back to Latin, and its meaning has consistently related to the idea of "sticking together." The word comes from the Latin verb cohaereˉre, which is formed by combining two parts:
co− (a form of cum): meaning "together" or "with."
haereˉre: meaning "to stick," "to cling," or "to hold fast."
Thus, the original, literal meaning of cohaereˉre was simply "to stick together" or "to be closely connected."
First Known Use and Meaning
The English word coherent (as an adjective) was adopted from the French word cohérent or directly from the Latin present participle, cohaerentem.
First Known Use (16th Century): The earliest uses in English, around the 1560s, retained the Latin meaning of physical connection. The word described things that were "united," "connected," or "clinging together"—much like sticky glue or closely joined parts.
Shift in Meaning (17th Century): By the mid-17th century (around the 1650s), the word developed its dominant, modern, non-physical meaning. It began to describe an argument, discourse, or thought process that was "logically consistent" and "made sense" because all its parts were mentally connected and held together without contradiction. This is the meaning we primarily use today when we talk about a coherent argument or idea.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Coherent
Finding a long list of well-established, common idioms and fixed phrases that use the specific word coherent is difficult because it is primarily an academic or formal descriptive adjective, not one frequently used in colorful, figurative speech.
Therefore, the following list includes the few established uses, along with supplemental, practical phrases that capture the common ways the word is applied, and some idioms using the close synonym clear for similar effect.
Phrases and Idioms Using "Coherent"
A coherent argument/narrative/theory: (A common formal phrase) A line of reasoning or story that is logically consistent, well-structured, and makes sense as a whole.
Example: The lawyer presented a coherent argument for the defense.
Lack coherence: (A common diagnostic phrase) To be confusing, inconsistent, or disorganized.
Example: The proposal lacked coherence because the goals changed from page to page.
Lose coherence: To become disjointed or confused, often in speech or thought.
Example: After the injury, the patient began to lose coherence in their speech.
A single coherent unit: (A technical or descriptive phrase) Refers to physical or abstract parts that have been successfully merged into one unified whole.
Example: The multiple departments merged into a single coherent unit.
Not fully coherent: (A phrase implying partial understanding or incomplete clarity) Describes something that is partly sensible but still contains confusing or missing elements.
Example: His explanation was not fully coherent, but we got the main idea.
Struggle to be coherent: To have difficulty expressing thoughts or speaking clearly.
Example: She was so distraught she could only struggle to be coherent.
Idioms Using Synonyms for Similar Effect
These idioms use the synonyms clear or make sense to achieve a similar meaning of intelligibility or logical consistency:
Clear as a bell: Extremely easy to understand; very distinct. (Synonym for very coherent)
Example: Once she summarized the plan, the objectives were clear as a bell.
To make head or tail of [something]: (Usually used in the negative) To be able to understand something at all. (Antonym for to be coherent)
Example: The instructions were so complicated I couldn't make head or tail of them.
To get one's thoughts in order: To mentally organize ideas so one can speak or write coherently.
Example: Before the meeting, I needed a few minutes to get my thoughts in order.
A lightbulb moment: A sudden moment of clarity or understanding where a previously confusing concept becomes coherent. (Synonym for gaining coherence)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of coherent from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
