cogent
Americanadjective
-
convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
-
to the point; relevant; pertinent.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cogent
1650–60; < Latin cōgent- (stem of cōgēns, present participle of cōgere to drive together, collect, compel), equivalent to cōg- ( co- co- + ag-, stem of agere to drive) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
When you make a cogent argument, it means your argument is clear and persuasive. In these days of 24-hour entertainment news and sound-bite sized explanations of complex government policy, it’s hard to find a cogent argument amidst all the emotional outbursts. Cogent comes from a Latin word meaning "to drive together," so cogent thinking is well-organized: it hangs together. If you try to convince your mayor to build a new park by saying that playgrounds are good, seeing the sky is nice, and raccoons are cool…well that’s not a cogent argument; it’s just random. But you could cogently argue that parks contribute to civic happiness by providing space for exercise, community, and encounters with nature.
Vocabulary lists containing cogent
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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.
Four Cogent Biosciences executives sold a combined 314,642 shares of company stock on December 26, 2025, at prices around $38.70 per share.
From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026
Bluesky provided a status notice from Cogent Communications that said some customers using part of its network located between Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, had temporarily lost connectivity.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2024
Cogent will acquire T-Mobile's fiber and related assets and certain liabilities associated with the business, helping it bolster its offering to consumers and enterprises, it said in a statement.
From Reuters • Sep. 7, 2022
Meanwhile, he said, Cogent is providing Ukrainian customers free service during the conflict.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2022
Cogent and conclusive this; and thus Harry, from the very beginning, was put down for a very equivocal character.
From Redburn. His First Voyage by Melville, Herman
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.
