ineloquent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
In his brief best period, it seemed that Basquiat couldn’t make an ineloquent mark, even by accident; his way with color, banging strong hues off against predominant black, rarely failed.
From The New Yorker ● May 26, 2017
“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
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
The grey sky overhead between the house-tops, the cold wind round every street-corner, the sad faces of the men and women on the pavements, combined to create an atmosphere of ineloquent misery.
From The Ghost Ship by Middleton, Richard
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.
