articulate

American  

[ahr-tik-yuh-lit, ahr-tik-yuh-leyt] / ɑrˈtɪk jə lɪt, ɑrˈtɪk jəˌleɪt /

adjective

1. uttered clearly in distinct syllables.

2. capable of speech; not speechless.

3. using language easily and fluently; having facility with words.

   an articulate speaker.

4. expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness.

   an articulate thought.

   Synonyms:

   expressive

   Antonyms:

   unintelligible, inarticulate

5. made clear, distinct, and precise in relation to other parts.

   an articulate form; an articulate shape; an articulate area.

6. (of ideas, form, etc.) having a meaningful relation to other parts.

   an articulate image.

7. having parts or distinct areas organized into a coherent or meaningful whole; unified.

   an articulate system of philosophy.

8. Zoology. having joints or articulations; composed of segments.

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verb (used with object)

• articulates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• articulated,
  past participle,  past
• articulating
  present participle

1. to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounce with clarity.

   Synonyms:

   enunciate

   Antonyms:

   mumble

2. Phonetics. to make the movements and adjustments of the speech organs necessary to utter (a speech sound).

3. to give clarity or distinction to.

   to articulate a shape; to articulate an idea.

4. Dentistry. to position or reposition (teeth); subject to articulation.

5. to unite by a joint or joints.

6. to reveal or make distinct.

   an injection to articulate arteries so that obstructions can be observed by x-ray.

verb (used without object)

• articulates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• articulated,
  past participle,  past
• articulating
  present participle

1. to pronounce clearly each of a succession of speech sounds, syllables, or words; enunciate.

   to articulate with excessive precision.

2. Phonetics. to articulate a speech sound.

3. Anatomy, Zoology. to form a joint.

4. Obsolete. to make terms of agreement.

noun

1. a segmented invertebrate.

articulate British  

adjective

1. able to express oneself fluently and coherently

   an articulate lecturer

2. having the power of speech

3. distinct, clear, or definite; well-constructed

   an articulate voice

   an articulate document

4. zoology (of arthropods and higher vertebrates) possessing joints or jointed segments

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verb

1. to speak or enunciate (words, syllables, etc) clearly and distinctly

2. (tr) to express coherently in words

3. (intr) zoology to be jointed or form a joint

4. (tr) to separate into jointed segments

Synonym Usage

See eloquent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• articulacy
  noun
• articulateness
  noun
• nonarticulateness
  noun
• subarticulateness
  noun
• misarticulate
  verb
• overarticulate
  verb
• rearticulate
  verb
• articulable
  adjective
• articulative
  adjective
• multiarticulate
  adjective
• nonarticulate
  adjective
• nonarticulative
  adjective
• overarticulate
  adjective
• prearticulate
  adjective
• pseudoarticulate
  adjective
• semiarticulate
  adjective
• subarticulate
  adjective
• subarticulative
  adjective
• unarticulate
  adjective
• unarticulative
  adjective
• articulately
  adverb
• nonarticulately
  adverb
• pseudoarticulately
  adverb
• semiarticulately
  adverb
• subarticulately
  adverb
• unarticulately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• articulating
  present
• articulated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• articulate
  simple
• articulates
  simple
• have articulated
  perfect
• has articulated
  perfect
• am articulating
  progressive
• are articulating
  progressive
• is articulating
  progressive
• have been articulating
  perfect progressive
• has been articulating
  perfect progressive

Past

• articulated
  simple
• had articulated
  perfect
• was articulating
  progressive
• were articulating
  progressive
• had been articulating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will articulate
  simple
• will have articulated
  perfect
• will be articulating
  progressive
• will have been articulating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of articulate

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin articulātus, past participle of articulāre “to divide into distinct parts”; see origin at article, -ate ¹

Explanation

To articulate is to say something. And, if you say it well, someone might praise you by saying you are articulate. Confused yet? It's all in the pronunciation. Reach for articulate when you need an adjective meaning "well-spoken" (pronounced ar-TIC-yuh-lit) or a verb (ar-TIC-yuh-late) meaning "to speak or express yourself clearly." The key to understanding articulate's many uses is to think of the related noun article: an articulate person clearly pronounces each article of his or her speech (that is, each word and syllable), and an articulated joint is divided up into distinct articles, or parts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

articulate articulates articulated articulating

Audrey says she was struck by how precisely he expressed feelings she herself had struggled to articulate.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Yet Cusk has found a large fan base for her work, mainly because she is a deft excavator of the human psyche, a writer who can articulate emotional states with uncanny precision and insight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Meanwhile, "the opposition has been too mired in internal and legal issues to really articulate a difference" between their policies and Tinubu's, said Adekaiyaoja.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

It’s hard to articulate exactly what Woke 1 is or, I suppose, was.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

Like Luthuli, he was articulate yet not showy, confident but humble.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

I still think about it and watch it over and over again because it beautifully articulates something I’ve always believed but struggle to find the words to explain.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

But it articulates the logic hovering around the episode: If Americans can be taught to eat correctly, perhaps they will require less care — and perhaps the government can spend less providing it.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

In late November, China, for the first time in nearly two decades, omitted any mention of North Korean disarmament from a periodically released defense white paper that articulates its stance on global threats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

Depending on the way I’ve prepared for class that week, I’ll compose a narrative about the slides in a way that articulates what collage might offer us.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025

The division of the liberal arts is not accidental; it articulates a coherent system of thought.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

But despite the pessimism frequently articulated by bearish investors, year after year, stock prices in recent decades have generally powered higher.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Meta’s answer, articulated across years of filings and months of litigation, is a resounding “no.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

But as John Maynard Keynes brilliantly articulated, what matters isn’t the state of the economy but consumer sentiment, how people feel about the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Wang also "articulated China's solemn position regarding a series of negative words and actions by the US side", the statement said, without referring to specific issues.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Because he was not articulated in this world.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

His chairmanship could turn on articulating a strategy for a central bank operating in a world of deglobalization, reduced immigration and recurring conflict—one that looks little like the 1990s he holds up as a model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“We were early in articulating the risk to legacy broadband providers from FWA, which the industry underestimated, as they are doing with satellite now,” Horan wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

Oil is really the only asset that’s experienced the kind of shock Kaur is articulating.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

“Take your best crack at articulating what standards a court would apply when reviewing the sufficiency of the consultation.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

He had acquired the necessary techniques while articulating cadavers for medical students at Cook County Hospital.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• coherent
• eloquent
• expressive
• fluent
• well-spoken