coherent
Americanadjective
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logically connected; consistent.
a coherent argument.
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having a natural or due agreement of parts; harmonious.
a coherent design.
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cohering; sticking together.
a coherent mass of sticky candies.
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Physics, Optics. of or relating to waves that maintain a fixed phase relationship, as in coherent light, or light in which the electromagnetic waves maintain a fixed and predictable phase relationship with each other over a period of time.
adjective
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capable of logical and consistent speech, thought, etc
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logical; consistent and orderly
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cohering or sticking together
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physics (of two or more waves) having the same phase or a fixed phase difference
coherent light
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(of a system of units) consisting only of units the quotient or product of any two of which yield the unit of the resultant quantity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of coherent
First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin cohērent-, variant of Latin cohaerent- (stem of cohaerēns ), present participle of cohaerēre; see cohere, -ent
Explanation
Something coherent is logical and clear. "I told you if you didn't do your homework you couldn't watch TV. You didn't do your homework so you can't watch TV." This is a coherent argument (and annoying as well). The thing about such coherent arguments, as your Mom well knows, is that they are also easily and clearly understood. If someone speaks coherently, they are speaking clearly and lucidly. A slight variation on the meaning comes in the sense of something that is united clearly as a whole and a recognizable entity. You might say, for example, that New York City is a "culturally coherent region" within the United States.
Vocabulary lists containing coherent
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“More optics, more lasers, more switching, and they supply it,” he said of Lumentum and Coherent.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Data-center equipment maker Vertiv and optical networking company Coherent have almost doubled, while semiconductor giant Broadcom is up around 30% in 2026.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Modine rose 3.7% and Coherent was up 0.7%.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Coherent and Lumentum declined 3.8% and 0.8%, respectively.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
What ecstasies, too full to keep Coherent measure with them!
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 107, September, 1866 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
