incoherent

adjective

in·​co·​her·​ent ˌin-kō-ˈhir-ənt 

-ˈher-

: lacking coherence: such as

a

: lacking normal clarity or intelligibility in speech or thought

incoherent with grief

b

: lacking orderly continuity, arrangement, or relevance : inconsistent

an incoherent essay

c

: lacking cohesion : loose

incoherently adverb

Did you know?

Something that is coherent holds or sticks together firmly, with resistance to separation (that is, it coheres). Coherent, ultimately from the Latin co- ("together") and haerēre ("to stick or cling"), entered English in the 16th century and almost from the beginning was used both of physical things ("coherent stone") and of things which hold together in a much less palpable way ("coherent thoughts"). Its antonym, incoherent, entered the language some decades later. Like coherent, incoherent can be applied to both the tangible and the intangible. But, whether we are speaking of sand or logic, all things incoherent have one thing in common: they do not hold together, literally or figuratively, in a unified or intelligible whole.

Synonyms

• choppy
• disconnected
• disjointed
• unconnected

Examples of incoherent in a Sentence

The fever made her incoherent.

He was very upset and practically incoherent after the accident.

The memo is completely incoherent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Excited delirium deaths in South Florida and across the country share commonalities: a sweating, agitated, incoherent man detached from reality — often high on cocaine or synthetic drugs — is restrained, sometimes aggressively, by police. —Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024

The audience follows her perspective across history to show that all of those seemingly incoherent mumblings sprinkled throughout the previous episodes can be strung together to form crucial clues about what comes later in the season. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Voters took Trump’s own advanced age and increasingly incoherent trail rhetoric in stride. —Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 6 Nov. 2024

Things quickly get even weirder: Architecture takes on an incoherent quality; a perverse, esoteric logic emerges in the game’s inscrutable puzzles (of which there are many). —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

incoherent

adjective

in·​co·​her·​ent ˌin-kō-ˈhir-ənt 

-ˈher-

1

: not sticking closely or compactly together : loose

2

: not clearly or logically connected

told an incoherent story

3

: not clear or understandable in speech or thought

incoherent with grief

incoherently adverb

Medical Definition

incoherent

adjective

in·​co·​her·​ent -ənt 

: lacking clarity or intelligibility usually by reason of some emotional stress

incoherent speech

incoherently adverb