inarticulate
Americanadjective
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lacking the ability to express oneself, especially in clear and effective speech.
an inarticulate public speaker.
-
unable to use articulate speech.
inarticulate with rage.
-
not articulate; not uttered or emitted with expressive or intelligible modulations.
His mouth stuffed, he could utter only inarticulate sounds.
-
not fully expressed or expressible.
a voice choked with inarticulate agony.
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Anatomy, Zoology. not jointed; having no articulation or joint.
adjective
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unable to express oneself fluently or clearly; incoherent
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(of speech, language, etc) unclear or incomprehensible; unintelligible
inarticulate grunts
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unable to speak; dumb
-
unable to be expressed; unvoiced
inarticulate suffering
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biology having no joints, segments, or articulation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of inarticulate
From the Late Latin word inarticulātus, dating back to 1595–1605. See in- 3, articulate
Explanation
Use the adjective inarticulate to describe poor communication skills, like at your most inarticulate moments when you nervously fumble to find the right word and completely forget to make your most important point. Inarticulate sounds — a grunt, cry, scream, snort, wail, howl, moan, sob, snicker — are heard but not easily understood. If something is inarticulate, it is hard to get the meaning, like an inarticulate speech whose main idea can't be found. Creative works can also be inarticulate, when it isn't clear what — if anything — they are trying to express, like a painter whose gallery show that is called "inarticulate" by a critic: You can't grasp what the artist is trying to say.
Vocabulary lists containing inarticulate
Lord of the Flies
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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The Miracle Worker
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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.
Inarticulate Romeos may fare better on OKCupid, which enables suitors to dispatch pictures of cartoon characters and cute animals.
From Washington Post • Mar. 10, 2016
Inarticulate anger pooled in the back of my mouth, and if I hadn’t been so shocked, I would have asked him if I should’ve gotten married a few more times before changing teams.
From Salon • Jan. 27, 2013
Inarticulate, impatient, fiercely temperamental, he could not quickly teach others the elusive quality of wit which alone would suit him.
From Time Magazine Archive
Inarticulate as were her struggles with syntax and orthography, she was to him the most faithful of correspondents.
From Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume I (of 2) A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own Writings by Bruce, Wiliam Cabell
Inarticulate no longer, he found the expression of a passionate and despairing eloquence.
From Love, the Fiddler by Osbourne, Lloyd
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.
