ineloquent

American  

[in-el-uh-kwuhnt] / ɪnˈɛl ə kwənt /

adjective

1. not eloquent.

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ineloquent British  

/ ɪnˈɛləkwənt /

adjective

1. lacking eloquence or fluency of expression

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Other Word Forms

• ineloquence noun
• ineloquently adverb

Etymology

Origin of ineloquent

First recorded in 1520–30, ineloquent is from the Late Latin word inēloquent- (stem of inēloquēns ). See in- ³, eloquent

Explanation

Someone who is ineloquent struggles to express themselves clearly or persuasively; they may frequently fumble for words or sound awkward and hesitant in conversation. The word ineloquent comes from the Latin eloqui, meaning "to speak out," with the prefix in- meaning "not." It describes the frustration of having a clear idea in your mind that simply doesn't come out in smooth speech. Picture trying to explain a complex thought, but the words fail you — you might stutter, pause often, or say "um" a lot. Ultimately, to be ineloquent is to lack the verbal grace or clarity needed to make your thoughts understood by others.

Example Sentences

But most modern speeches reflect what Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania has called the “conversational style”: not ineloquent, necessarily, but informal, plain-spoken.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2021

“One American can relish hugely the entertainment afforded when one quizzical Englishman chaffs his shy, ineloquent countrymen without expecting all other Americans to shake with laughter at the same spectacle,” Woollcott wrote.

From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2014

As he pounds out his ineloquent thoughts, he reads along: “You are a lone reed waving in the breeze, standing strong and tall in the corrupt sands of commerce.”

From The New Yorker • Aug. 23, 2014

At sunset, we climbed a hill overlooking the ocean and in a very ineloquent fashion, I asked her to spend the rest of her life with me.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2013

We would often smile at that ineloquent memorial, and thought it a poor thing to come into the world at all and leave no more behind one than Macbean.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume 9 by Stevenson, Robert Louis