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Synonyms

coherent

American  
[koh-heer-uhnt, -her-] / koʊˈhɪər ənt, -ˈhɛr- /

adjective

  1. logically connected; consistent.

    a coherent argument.

  2. having a natural or due agreement of parts; harmonious.

    a coherent design.

  3. cohering; sticking together.

    a coherent mass of sticky candies.

  4. 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.


coherent British  
/ kəʊˈhɪərənt /

adjective

  1. capable of logical and consistent speech, thought, etc

  2. logical; consistent and orderly

  3. cohering or sticking together

  4. physics (of two or more waves) having the same phase or a fixed phase difference

    coherent light

  5. (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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • coherently adverb
  • noncoherent adjective

Etymology

Origin of coherent

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin cohērent-, variant of Latin cohaerent- (stem of cohaerēns ), present participle of cohaerēre; cohere, -ent

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.

What these kerfuffles share is that they are all caused by Britain’s economic anemia but, conspicuously, aren’t about any coherent agenda to reverse it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The AI punctuates, formats and adapts his rambling into coherent copy.

From Los Angeles Times

The way to extend American advantage isn’t to declare victory in great-power competition, but to reduce strategic entropy—through coherent policy, allied industrial capacity and predictable commitments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Given the range of the record, it’s impressive how coherent “Don’t Be Dumb” is as a front-to-back listening experience.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unlike a church or political party, it can’t speak with a coherent political voice because it lacks mechanisms for collapsing disagreements into unified institutional conclusions.

From The Wall Street Journal