incoherence
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being incoherent.
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something incoherent; an incoherent statement, article, speech, etc.
Etymology
Origin of incoherence
Explanation
Incoherence is a quality of being unclear, disjointed, or nonsensical. The incoherence of the scavenger hunt's instructions resulted in everyone running in different directions looking hopelessly confused. A political candidate's incoherence usually hurts their chances of winning an election, since no one really understands what they stand for. And if your English teacher comments on the incoherence of your latest essay, you might want to get some extra writing help. When ideas, words, or thoughts don't hold together quite right, that's incoherence. The Latin root is cohaerere, "stick together."
Vocabulary lists containing incoherence
Additional Shakespeare Articles
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here, hes (stick; adhere)
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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.
It revealed the incoherence of Compass’s entire theory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Beyond the incoherence of destroying an item that was already paid for, demonstrations like these had little impact on the brands themselves.
From Salon • Oct. 3, 2025
The slippery incoherence is a feature, not a bug.
From Slate • Oct. 16, 2024
He admitted to a "certain amount of incoherence in our thinking," but added: "Once we decided to act, I think it was pretty fast from flash to bang."
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2023
He tried to explain what had happened, but he could hear himself slipping into incoherence.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
