articulate

1 of 2

adjective

ar·​tic·​u·​late är-ˈti-kyə-lət How to pronounce articulate (audio)
1
a
: expressing oneself readily, clearly, and effectively
an articulate teacher
also : expressed in such a manner
an articulate argument
b
: divided into syllables or words meaningfully arranged : intelligible
an articulate cry/utterance
c
: able to speak
So furious was he that he was hardly articulateArthur Conan Doyle
2
a
: consisting of segments united by joints : jointed
articulate animals
b
: distinctly marked off
an articulate period in history
articulately adverb
articulateness noun

articulate

2 of 2

verb

ar·​tic·​u·​late är-ˈti-kyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce articulate (audio)
articulated; articulating

transitive verb

1
a
: to give clear and effective utterance to : to put into words
articulate one's grievances
He found it hard to articulate his feelings.
b
: to utter distinctly
articulating each note in the musical phrase
c
: to give definition to (something, such as a shape or object)
Eight shades of gray were chosen to articulate different spaces.Carol Vogel
d
: to give shape or expression to (something, such as a theme or concept)
a drama that uses eerie props to articulate a sense of foreboding
2
a
: to unite by or as if by means of a joint : joint
b
: to form or fit into a systematic whole
articulating a program for all school grades

intransitive verb

1
: to utter clear and understandable sounds
2
: to become united or connected by or as if by a joint
Most bones articulate with other bones in one or more places.
articulative adjective
articulator noun

Examples of articulate in a Sentence

Adjective But he clearly adored his quick-witted and mercilessly articulate elder daughter. Contrary to feminist accounts of her patriarchal imprisonment, Emily Dickinson's objections to her father's strictures had an affectionate tone … Christopher Benfey, New York Review of Books, 17 Jan. 2002
Among the most articulate critics of the tests are the boycotting students, who complain about narrowing opportunities and shrinking curricula. Peter Schrag, Atlantic, August 2000
She's an intelligent and articulate speaker. He was very articulate about his feelings on the subject. The baby is beginning to form articulate words and phrases. Verb She was shocked, she told me, to see that he insisted on talking about her ideas—and about the pains and hopes that gave rise to them. "The only way to keep it is to give it away," he told her, articulating and enacting the essence of altruism. Joshua Wolf Shenk, Atlantic, June 2009
"Fiction just doesn't interest me," one 41-year-old construction worker told CNN. "If I'm going to get a story, I'll get a movie," he said, articulating an attitude surely shared by many others in our media-saturated world. Sara Nelson, Publishers Weekly, 27 Aug. 2007
Erudite, elderly, and introspective, one of my patients articulates clearly some of today's dilemmas facing both alcoholic patients and their physicians. Thomas L. Delbanco, Journal of the American Medical Association, 13 Mar. 1996
He had some trouble articulating his thoughts. We disagree with the views articulated by the administration. a theory first articulated by ancient philosophers the bones that articulate with the clavicle
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Ohtani won’t tell his story, so his story is being told by people less articulate and charming than himself. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Halevi is historically knowledgeable, articulate, self-aware, and conscious of the different narratives in the ether. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 Others are very charismatic, impressively articulate, or extremely efficient. Joseph Liu, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The jury was moved by the honest dialogue, articulate storytelling, and the potential to visualize scientific concepts. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023 But since the two parties reached a settlement in June, Kesha is more articulate than ever. Sharp. Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023 Always thoughtful, articulate, tough and deeply human – that was his super power. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023 That’s a significant boon for the movie, since Kiran is articulate and remarkably steadfast. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023 This time around, the House Freedom Caucus rebels don’t even have an articulate set of demands, just primal rage. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 25 Sep. 2023
Verb
For human workers, that leaves behind judgment, motivation, collaboration, and articulating a vision. Jane Thier, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 But Farron articulates one of the softer advantages of the raffle model, as compared to the auction model. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024 Another thoughtful, articulate participant in the writing workshop is Le’Var Nelson Howard, who was sentenced to life at the age of 19 for randomly shooting a stranger to death on the streets of Le Grande. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024 In this damning dissection, Intercept journalists lay bare the decisions that led to the story’s publication in the first place, some of which one of the freelancers, Anat Schwartz, articulated in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news. Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024 Musk's recent lawsuit articulates a profound sense of disappointment, arguing that OpenAI has strayed far from its founding principles of open-source innovation and societal betterment in pursuit of commercial gain. Nizan Geslevich Packin, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 It has often been said of Curb that David represents the inner monologue of the audience, articulating the minor petty grievances that go unsaid in polite society. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 Almost three decades before, Spike Lee’s similarly provocative Do the Right Thing articulated its own unsafe idea (riotous anger is warranted) so effectively that people feared the movie would incite violence. Kishori Rajan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 However, as articulated in a 2022 Supreme Court Case, residents of these territories do not have the same eligibility for the Supplemental Security Program and other federal benefits that residents of America's 50 states do. USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'articulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Late Latin articulātus "uttered distinctly, expressed clearly" (as translation of Greek énarthros), past participle of articulāre "to make distinct sounds," going back to Latin, "to divide into distinct parts," derivative of articulus "joint, part of a limb or digit between joints, point of time, clause of a document" — more at article entry 1

Verb

borrowed from Late Latin articulātus, past participle of articulāre "to make distinct sounds," going back to Latin, "to divide into distinct parts" — more at articulate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1661, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of articulate was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near articulate

Cite this Entry

“Articulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/articulate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

articulate

1 of 2 adjective
ar·​tic·​u·​late är-ˈtik-yə-lət How to pronounce articulate (audio)
1
a
: clearly understandable
an articulate argument
b
: able to express oneself clearly and well
an articulate speaker
2
: consisting of segments united by joints : jointed
articulate animals
articulately adverb
articulateness noun

articulate

2 of 2 verb
ar·​tic·​u·​late är-ˈtik-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce articulate (audio)
articulated; articulating
1
a
: to speak in clear syllables or words
b
: to express clearly
2
: to unite or become united or connected by or as if by a joint
articulator noun

Medical Definition

articulate

1 of 2 adjective
ar·​tic·​u·​late är-ˈtik-yə-lət How to pronounce articulate (audio)
: consisting of segments united by joints : jointed
articulate animals

articulate

2 of 2 verb
ar·​tic·​u·​late -ˌlāt How to pronounce articulate (audio)
articulated; articulating

transitive verb

1
: to utter distinctly
2
: to unite by means of a joint
3
: to arrange (artificial teeth) on an articulator

intransitive verb

1
: to utter articulate sounds
2
: to become united or connected by or as if by a joint
bones that articulate with each other

More from Merriam-Webster on articulate

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