coherent

adjective

co·​her·​ent kō-ˈhir-ənt How to pronounce coherent (audio)
-ˈher-
1
a
: logically or aesthetically ordered or integrated : consistent
coherent style
a coherent argument
b
: having clarity or intelligibility : understandable
a coherent person
a coherent passage
2
: having the quality of holding together or cohering
especially : cohesive, coordinated
a coherent plan for action
3
a
: relating to or composed of waves having a constant difference in phase
coherent light
b
: producing coherent light
a coherent source
coherently adverb

Examples of coherent in a Sentence

… the diaries and the novels demonstrate how a novelist tweaks and grooms reality into something more structured and coherent than life as it is lived. Penelope Lively, Atlantic, February 2001
He is without a political agenda as he is without a coherent moral sensibility. Joyce Carol Oates, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 1990
At times, without my insisting on it, my writings become coherent; the successive elements that occur to me are clearly related. William Stafford, Writing the Australian Crawl, 1978
This time the song was old, a pattern of rhythmic monosyllables which had lost coherent meaning somewhere in time. Tony Hillerman, The Blessing Way, 1970
He proposed the most coherent plan to improve the schools. They are able to function as a coherent group.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This approach should include: Unified Data Infrastructure: Providing coherent access to data across diverse locations without relying on outdated monolithic data lakes. Steve McDowell, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 The evaluation of Harris’s loss was also varied and pointed to issues like her inability to distance herself from Joe Biden or to articulate a coherent economic vision for the future. Mordechai Gordon, Hartford Courant, 12 Nov. 2024 Still, the rise of both leftist and rightist populist parties in Germany, as elsewhere in Europe, means that even a new election might not easily enable a coherent coalition with a clear majority. Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024 More coherent stock option regulation, enhanced incentives to found a company, and lower entrepreneur taxes. Jorge Lluch, Fortune Europe, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for coherent 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French coherent, borrowed from Latin cohaerent-, cohaerens "touching, adjacent, cohering," from present participle of cohaerēre "to cohere"

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of coherent was in 1557

Dictionary Entries Near coherent

Cite this Entry

“Coherent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coherent. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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