incoherent

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

/ ˌɪn koʊˈhɪər ənt, -ˈhɛr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incoherent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling: an incoherent sentence.

characterized by such thought or language, as a person: incoherent with rage.

not coherent or cohering: an incoherent mixture.

lacking physical cohesion; loose: incoherent dust.

lacking unity or harmony of elements: an incoherent public.

lacking congruity of parts; uncoordinated.

different or incompatible by nature, as things.

Physics. (of a wave) having a low degree of coherence.Compare coherent(def 4).

Nearby words

incognita, incognito, incognizant, incoherence, incoherency, incoherent, incombustible, income, income account, income bond, income distribution

Origin of incoherent

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

SYNONYMS FOR incoherent

1 confused, irrational, muddled.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incoherent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

in·co·her·ent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incoherent

There are no hipsters anymore—at least none that live up to the crazy, incoherent stereotypes in circulation.
Why Do We Hate Hipsters So F'ing Much?|Ted Gioia|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sabo is as incoherent and hateful as any run-of-the-mill troll.
Breitbart Twerks Pelosi With Credibility-Destroying Ad|Emily Shire|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Second, the view that corporations have consciences is incoherent.
Do Corporations Believe in God? The ‘Hobby Lobby’ Case Has the Answer|Jay Michaelson|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was from Jack, but so incoherent that I thought he must have lost his reason.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yet our distinction between secular and religious buildings would have been incoherent to the ancient Greeks.
Virgin Sacrifice and the Meaning of the Parthenon|Nick Romeo|February 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Duke strove to pacify him in a long and, as usual, incoherent letter.
Rupert Prince Palatine|Eva Scott
But later on, like all things Turkish, it lapsed into a matter of form, satisfied by an incoherent “Hullo!”
A Prisoner in Turkey|John Still
Bits and snatches had filtered through, garbled and incoherent, that had tried to shed light yet could not.
The Sex Life of the Gods|Michael Knerr
It mingled with a swarm of incoherent ideas and gave them a new intensity of life.
A History of French Literature|Edward Dowden
I am unstable as water; incoherent, inconsistent, a very chameleon!
The Child of Pleasure|Gabriele D'Annunzio

British Dictionary definitions for incoherent

incoherent

/ (ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərənt) /

adjective

lacking in clarity or organization; disordered

unable to express oneself clearly; inarticulate

physics (of two or more waves) having the same frequency but not the same phaseincoherent light

Derived Forms

incoherence, incoherency or incoherentness, nounincoherently, adverb

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