cogent

[ koh-juhnt ]

/ ˈkoʊ dʒənt /

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See synonyms for: cogent / cogently on Thesaurus.com

adjective

convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.

to the point; relevant; pertinent.

QUIZ

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Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM cogent

co·gent·ly, adverbnon·co·gent, adjectivenon·co·gent·ly, adverbun·co·gent, adjective

un·co·gent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cogent in a sentence

Indeed, Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt has argued cogently against physician salary reductions and for salary raises.
Why Primary-Care Physicians Need a Minimum Wage|Daniela Drake|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reihan Salam cogently argues federalism is on the wrong path due to powerful incentives tied to federal funding.
Federalism? Nah, Let DC Pay for It|Justin Green|February 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“In certain respects, the so-called soft social sciences deal with the hardest problems,” he notes cogently.
David's Book Club: Uncontrolled|Kenneth Silber|May 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The thumbs-up, thumbs-down nature of politics and media impedes our collective ability to cogently address what is going on.
Jobs Report Shows Unemployment Steady, but There’s Underlying Trouble|Zachary Karabell|March 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Does he not see how cogently he might be asked, whether it be the character of nullification to practise what it preaches?
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster|Daniel Webster
The reasons that prevailed against attempting Mitchel's rescue, Doheny cogently states.
The Felon's Track|Michael Doheny
In this article, the writer cogently argues the claims of these new phenomena upon the attention of scientific men.
The Salem witchcraft, The planchette mystery, and Modern spiritualism|Harriet Beecher Stowe
He wrote a good, clear, serviceable hand; he could talk well and reason cogently.
A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln|John G. Nicolay
It is impossible to express more cogently the whole tragedy of the dying sensualist.
Modernities|Horace Barnett Samuel

British Dictionary definitions for cogent

cogent

/ (ˈkəʊdʒənt) /

adjective

compelling belief or assent; forcefully convincing

Derived forms of cogent

cogency, nouncogently, adverb

Word Origin for cogent

C17: from Latin cōgent-, cōgēns, driving together, from cōgere, from co- together + agere to drive

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

cogent

Origin of cogent

OTHER WORDS FROM cogent

Words related to cogent

How to use cogent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cogent

Derived forms of cogent

Word Origin for cogent