articulate

ar·tic·u·late | \ är-ˈti-kyə-lət

Definition of articulate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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 articulate …— Arthur Conan Doyle

2a : consisting of segments united by joints : jointed articulate animals

b : distinctly marked off an articulate period in history

articulate

verb

ar·tic·u·late | \ är-ˈti-kyə-ˌlāt

articulated; articulating

Definition of articulate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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.

Other Words from articulate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about articulate

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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 The engaging and articulate Bol makes campers realize how fortunate they are to have the freedoms enjoyed in America, and he emphasizes the importance of capitalizing on their opportunities to get the most out of life. — Chris Broussard, New York Times, 4 Aug. 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 The tone of the show felt like being at a wake among particularly articulate and thoughtful friends. — Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, "How did the media report Kobe Bryant’s death? With confusion and misinformation, to start," 28 Jan. 2020 Witnesses testified that Trump did not articulate concerns about Ukraine corruption other than expressing interest into investigations that would benefit him politically. — Hope Yen, The Denver Post, "Fact check: Trump and his so-they-say accusations," 23 Nov. 2019 After an intermission re-set of the stage, Dinur was back on the podium leading the orchestra, MS Chorus and four vocal soloists in an articulate rendering of the Mozart Requiem. — Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Symphony conductor Yaniv Dinur, doubling on piano, a delight to see and hear," 23 Nov. 2019 Looking back through his photographs, though, and Burstall still can’t quite articulate why raving became his whole world back then. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "The Photography Book Looking Back on the Carefree ’90s Fashion of the Sydney Rave Scene," 12 Nov. 2019 Errol, the most articulate member of this group, is shown stealing a bicycle and then being bundled into the back of a police van. — J.w., The Economist, "“Here for Life” is a moving film about hardship in London," 25 Sep. 2019 At the helm of this still unbuilt ship is Wright, an affable, articulate guy who—until fairly recently—mostly studied exoplanets and not signs of their potential exobeings. — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, "Space Alien Research Could Get Its First Grad Program," 18 Nov. 2019 Castro is one of the most articulate members of Congress on foreign policy. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "Spanish visitors saw San Antonio’s indigenous Mexican roots on display," 9 Nov. 2019 In addition to articulate, expressive dancers, lead couple Daynelis Munoz and Rainer Diaz also proved to be first-rate actors. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, "Cleveland Ballet leaps over expectations with unconventional new ‘Carmen’," 21 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The allegations, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, represent the first specific concern the US has articulated about Huawei after months of conceptual arguments. — Lily Hay Newman, Wired, "The US Fears Huawei Because It Knows How Tempting Backdoors Are," 11 Feb. 2020 The order wasn’t a substantive affirmation of the president’s legal position, and the precedent doesn’t support Trump’s expansive view of executive power as articulated in his high court filings. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Trump’s executive power grab continues in Supreme Court financial records cases," 7 Feb. 2020 While artists are not always articulate about their work, Blue Note’s jazz players do an exceptional job talking about their art form and the people who came before. — Kenneth Turan, latimes.com, "Review: ‘Blue Note Records: Beyond The Notes’ celebrates legendary jazz label," 27 June 2019 This is a false alarm—and for all the reasons Republicans have articulated to date. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, "Crying Wolf on Impeachment," 30 Jan. 2020 In general terms, a will is a legal document that articulates the distribution of your property and other assets upon death and can appoint guardians for minor children. — Kara Stevens, Essence, "Death And Money: How To Protect And Provide For The Loved Ones You Leave Behind," 29 Jan. 2020 Although laws clearly articulate the rights of people to access their digital health records, few people find that the system really works for them. — Harlan M. Krumholz, STAT, "An ‘Epic’ pushback as U.S. prepares for new era of empowering patient health data," 27 Jan. 2020 Philip Deloria, a history professor at Harvard and author of the book Playing Indian, argues that white Americans have always articulated their identity through Indianness. — Jennifer Percy, Harper's magazine, "The Skinning Tree," 20 Jan. 2020 The illustration initiative is part of Vogue’s new environmentally focused mission statement, which was articulated last month and signed by the editors of all 26 editions of the Condé Nast publication. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Vogue Italia replaces photographs with illustrations in an effort to be sustainable," 4 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'articulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.