cogency

noun

co·​gen·​cy ˈkō-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce cogency (audio)
: the quality or state of being cogent

Examples of cogency in a Sentence

the cogency of Thomas Paine's celebrated case for American independence satirical comments of great cogency
Recent Examples on the Web
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The play echoes this ever-important sentiment but with far less cogency on an American stage. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024 European leaders refused to comment on the record about their perceptions of Biden’s cogency. Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024 Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency. Fredrik Logevall, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022 The emphasis is on technical perfection, formal cogency, and unity of interpretive approach. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Yet, by using Martin’s words to ferry one scene to the next, & Juliet also ends up emphasizing the cogency of his work. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022 But in her first directorial feature in 15 years, cinematographer Johnes doesn’t organize this material with ideal cogency. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022 But Post evidently finds inspiration in the late rocker’s gloomy cogency. Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 9 June 2022 Is Biden, who has already suffered attacks as to his mental cogency, up for it? Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 29 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

cog(ent) + -ency

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cogency was in 1667

Dictionary Entries Near cogency

Cite this Entry

“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cogency. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cogency

noun
co·​gen·​cy ˈkō-jən-sē How to pronounce cogency (audio)
: the quality or state of being cogent

More from Merriam-Webster on cogency

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