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.
Yet cogent objections to post-’60s permissiveness crop up with some regularity, if you’re looking for them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The kids in these videos are often cogent and persuasive, but their words don’t matter to the viewers.
From Salon • Sep. 24, 2025
Some of this stuff was cogent, a lot of it was tiresome, but ultimately—and this is key—all of it was the result of pressure from the public.
From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025
The raw footage shows she was quoted accurately, although CBS had edited her response by using her most cogent sentence.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025
“It is plain that nature took but little trouble in fashioning his outer man...As a close observer and cogent reasoner, he has few equals and perhaps no superior in the world,” the reporter wrote.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
