Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

consistent

American  
[kuhn-sis-tuhnt] / kənˈsɪs tənt /

adjective

  1. agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory.

    His views and actions are consistent.
    Synonyms:
    conformable, harmonious, consonant, congruous

  2. constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc..

    a consistent opponent.

  3. holding firmly together; cohering.

  4. Archaic. fixed; firm.

consistent British  
/ kənˈsɪstənt /

adjective

  1. showing consistency; not self-contradictory

  2. in agreement or harmony; accordant

  3. steady; even

    consistent growth

  4. maths (of two or more equations) satisfied by at least one common set of values of the variables

    x + y = 4 and x – y = 2 are consistent

  5. logic

    1. (of a set of statements) capable of all being true at the same time or under the same interpretation

    2. Also: sound.  (of a formal system) not permitting the deduction of a contradiction from the axioms Compare complete

  6. obsolete stuck together; cohering

"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

  • consistently adverb
  • quasi-consistent adjective

Etymology

Origin of consistent

First recorded in 1565–75, consistent is from the Latin word consistent- (stem of consistēns, present participle of consistere ); consist, -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.

Such marches and other non-violent collective actions will need to be repeated and consistent, and they must demand concrete policy and legal changes.

From Salon

"I have been in this role for four years now and it has been a consistent team," he told the BBC.

From Barron's

Financial experts say early-career workers can learn from these supersavers — not by chasing outsized returns, but by starting early and making smart, consistent choices.

From MarketWatch

The prime minister said the move would be consistent with "recent practice" on the use of UK armed forces.

From BBC

None of the Late Pleistocene specimens examined, including some previously suggested as "proto-dogs," showed skull features consistent with domestication.

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.