incoherent

[in-koh-heer-uhnt, -her-]

adjective

1. without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling.

   an incoherent sentence.

   Synonyms: muddled, irrational, confused

2. characterized by such thought or language, as a person.

   incoherent with rage.

3. not coherent or cohering.

   an incoherent mixture.

4. lacking physical cohesion; loose.

   incoherent dust.

5. lacking unity or harmony of elements.

   an incoherent public.

6. lacking congruity of parts; uncoordinated.

7. different or incompatible by nature, as things.

8. Physics.,  (of a wave) having a low degree of coherence.

incoherent

/ ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərənt /

adjective

1. lacking in clarity or organization; disordered

2. unable to express oneself clearly; inarticulate

3. physics (of two or more waves) having the same frequency but not the same phase

   incoherent light

Other Word Forms

• incoherently adverb
• incoherence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of incoherent¹

First recorded in 1620–30; in- ³ + coherent

Example Sentences

None of that is realistic on a global scale, or especially likely to happen, and as so-called policy it’s also internally incoherent.

From Salon

He had lost his pack and seemed incoherent when the scouts found him and escorted him to safety.

From Los Angeles Times

His answers were frequently long-winded, muddled and incoherent.

From Los Angeles Times

Current eugenics rhetoric is, like its forebear, fundamentally incoherent.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s not unusual for fascist movements to be incoherent in their ideology or goals.

From Salon

Related Words

• disjointed 
• incomprehensible 
• incongruous 
• irrational 
• jumbled www.thesaurus.com
• muddled 
• puzzling 
• rambling 
• uneven