coherent
Americanadjective
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logically connected; consistent.
a coherent argument.
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having a natural or due agreement of parts; harmonious.
a coherent design.
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cohering; sticking together.
a coherent mass of sticky candies.
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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.
adjective
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capable of logical and consistent speech, thought, etc
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logical; consistent and orderly
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cohering or sticking together
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physics (of two or more waves) having the same phase or a fixed phase difference
coherent light
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(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
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.
She said the toddler was moving and looked coherent.
From Los Angeles Times
The most effective programs integrate economic reasoning as the connective tissue that makes financial concepts coherent and transferable.
Systems like large language models can generate remarkably coherent text, analyze complex data, and perform tasks that once seemed to require human reasoning.
He suggests that Washington must “integrate its military strength, economic leverage, technological leadership, and diplomatic influence into a single, coherent plan to prevent war.”
Reported in Advanced Photonics, their study describes a high-performance quantum coherent receiver built directly inside glass using femtosecond laser writing.
From Science Daily
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.
