articulate

[ adjective, noun ahr-tik-yuh-lit; verb ahr-tik-yuh-leyt ]

See synonyms for: articulate articulated articulates articulating on Thesaurus.com

adjective

uttered clearly in distinct syllables.
capable of speech; not speechless.

using language easily and fluently; having facility with words: an articulate speaker.
expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness: an articulate thought.
made clear, distinct, and precise in relation to other parts: an articulate form; an articulate shape; an articulate area.
(of ideas, form, etc.) having a meaningful relation to other parts: an articulate image.
having parts or distinct areas organized into a coherent or meaningful whole; unified: an articulate system of philosophy.
Zoology. having joints or articulations; composed of segments.

verb (used with object),ar·tic·u·lat·ed, ar·tic·u·lat·ing.

to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounce with clarity.
Phonetics. to make the movements and adjustments of the speech organs necessary to utter (a speech sound).

to give clarity or distinction to: to articulate a shape; to articulate an idea.
Dentistry. to position or reposition (teeth); subject to articulation.
to unite by a joint or joints.
to reveal or make distinct: an injection to articulate arteries so that obstructions can be observed by x-ray.

verb (used without object),ar·tic·u·lat·ed, ar·tic·u·lat·ing.

to pronounce clearly each of a succession of speech sounds, syllables, or words; enunciate: to articulate with excessive precision.
Phonetics. to articulate a speech sound.

Anatomy, Zoology. to form a joint.
Obsolete. to make terms of agreement.

noun

a segmented invertebrate.

Origin of articulate

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin articulātus, past participle of articulāre “to divide into distinct parts”; see origin at article, -ate¹

synonym study For articulate

4. See eloquent.

word story For articulate

The English adjective articulate first appears in print in 1531 in the meaning “uttered clearly and distinctly.” The verb articulate first appears about 20 years later, in the sense “to formulate in articles, set out, specify.”
Articulate comes from Latin articulātus, the past participle of articulāre “to divide into separate, distinct parts,” a derivative of the noun articulus “joint (of a body), point (of time), clause or section (of a contract or law), a single word in a phrase, clause, or sentence pronounced by itself, a pronoun or pronominal adjective, an article (definite or indefinite).”
As for the last definition, “an article (definite or indefinite, such as the or a in English),” the great, usually levelheaded Roman rhetorician Quintilian wrote Noster sermō articulōs nōn dēsīderat (“Our language does not desire articles”). Quintilian was contrasting Latin, which indeed had no articles, with Greek, which had a fully inflected definite article for all genders, numbers, and cases. Quintilian is proven wrong by the definite and indefinite articles in all the Romance languages.

Other words for articulate

4	expressive
9	enunciate

See synonyms for articulate on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for articulate

4	inarticulate, unintelligible
9	mumble

See antonyms for articulate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from articulate

ar·tic·u·la·ble [ahr-tik-yuh-luh-buhl], /ɑrˈtɪk yə lə bəl/, adjective
ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
ar·tic·u·late·ness, ar·tic·u·la·cy [ahr-tik-yuh-luh-see], /ɑrˈtɪk yə lə si/, noun
ar·tic·u·la·tive [ahr-tik-yuh-ley-tiv, -luh-tiv], /ɑrˈtɪk yəˌleɪ tɪv, -lə tɪv/, adjective
mis·ar·tic·u·late, verb, mis·ar·tic·u·lat·ed, mis·ar·tic·u·lat·ing.
mul·ti·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
non·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
non·ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
non·ar·tic·u·late·ness, noun
non·ar·tic·u·la·tive, adjective
o·ver·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
o·ver·ar·tic·u·late, verb, o·ver·ar·tic·u·lat·ed, o·ver·ar·tic·u·lat·ing.
pre·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
pseu·do·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
pseu·do·ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
re·ar·tic·u·late, verb, re·ar·tic·u·lat·ed, re·ar·tic·u·lat·ing.
sem·i·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
sem·i·ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
sub·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
sub·ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
sub·ar·tic·u·late·ness, noun
sub·ar·tic·u·la·tive, adjective
un·ar·tic·u·late, adjective
un·ar·tic·u·late·ly, adverb
un·ar·tic·u·la·tive, adjective

Words Nearby articulate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use articulate in a sentence

These values require constant maintenance and must be articulated over and over again in new contexts.
Participation-washing could be the next dangerous fad in machine learning | Amy Nordrum | August 25, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
One response was through petition writing as women took to the pen to articulate their concerns.
How Igbo women activists influenced British authorities during the colonial rule of Nigeria | Bright Alozie | August 7, 2020 | Quartz
It’s not just that the weighted vote is bad – which many smaller cities have articulated loudly and clearly for a few years now – but that the weighted vote is inappropriate for quasi-judicial decisions.
Politics Report: Mara Elliott, Plumber | Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts | August 1, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
Scroll’s reason for existing has always been fairly easy to articulate.
Inside Tony Haile’s expedition to (help) save the news business | Steven Perlberg | July 27, 2020 | Digiday
He has articulated some very clear themes and tried to approach them.
Does the President Matter as Much as You Think? (Ep. 404) | Stephen J. Dubner | February 6, 2020 | Freakonomics

I am not the most financially literate person (I would be hard-pressed to articulate the term “junk bond”).
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You? | Lizzie Crocker | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His correspondence, much of which survives, is that of an incisive and articulate observer.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor | S. C. Gwynne | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I was looking for characters, originals, people who could articulate what they were doing in colorful ways.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark | Alex Belth | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“No one has been able to clearly articulate why they took that out,” Miller said.
U.S. Air Force: Swear to God—or Get Out | Dave Majumdar | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
My debate partner in Virginia was articulate, educated, likable, and familiar with a vast range of relevant scientific research.
My Debate With an ‘Intelligent Design’ Theorist | Karl W. Giberson | April 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For all that, an occasional mutter came unheeded to his ears, the closed curtains preserving articulate sounds like room walls.
Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
The infant begins its vocal utterances with simple cries; only at a later age does it begin to articulate.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
The language of the Akka is of a very undeveloped type, and seems a link between articulate and inarticulate speech.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
He laid his hand on his brow and more than once he groaned and muttered half-articulate expressions of repugnance.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles Reade
The sick woman was lying still; her eyes wandered and her lips moved, but as yet no articulate sound issued from them.
A Life Sentence | Adeline Sergeant

British Dictionary definitions for articulate

articulate

adjective(ɑːˈtɪkjʊlɪt)

able to express oneself fluently and coherently: an articulate lecturer
having the power of speech

distinct, clear, or definite; well-constructed: an articulate voice; an articulate document
zoology (of arthropods and higher vertebrates) possessing joints or jointed segments

verb(ɑːˈtɪkjʊˌleɪt)

to speak or enunciate (words, syllables, etc) clearly and distinctly
(tr) to express coherently in words

(intr) zoology to be jointed or form a joint
(tr) to separate into jointed segments

Origin of articulate

C16: from Latin articulāre to divide into joints; see article

Derived forms of articulate

articulately, adverb
articulateness or articulacy, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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