coherent

adjective

co·her·ent | \ kō-ˈhir-ənt

, -ˈher-\

Definition of coherent

1a : 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

3a : relating to or composed of waves having a constant difference in phase coherent light

b : producing coherent light a coherent source

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

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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

If groups of students or certain sects of society come forth with a coherent explanation for why a change is needed, it should be acted on rather quickly instead of mulled over through a much-too-long bureaucratic process. — Mike Anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: No reason not to change high school nicknames that are offensive or derogatory," 16 June 2019 Yet despite the sense of movement and haste, the painting is fully coherent. — The New York Review of Books, "‘Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice’," 24 Mar. 2019 Together, these fashion choices provide a coherent visual narrative of the British royal family, adorably harkening back to previous happy memories, and emphasizing continuity. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Princess Charlotte's Floral Dress Is Shockingly Still Available to Shop," 1 May 2019 Apparently, the applications aren't grammatically coherent enough to pass muster at the USPTO. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Olivia Jade’s Beauty Brand Trademark Application May Be Rejected Over Grammatical Errors," 28 Mar. 2019 There’s half a dozen crackerjack scenes in the book (the Ashcroft bedside showdown, his dinner with Trump, learning about his firing) but turning them into a coherent story is going to be tricky. — Andy Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, "James Comey's 'A Higher Loyalty': Book Review," 16 Apr. 2018 This is a guy who spent two decades making coherent arguments for things like the tax cuts, for policies like entitlement reform, Maria, things that are not popular inside the beltway. — Fox News, "Rep. Goodlatte calls on DOJ to make Comey memos available," 15 Apr. 2018 The neutral particle beam will need to hold a coherent beam over the 1,000 kilometers or so from low-earth orbit to the ground. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Pentagon Wants to Test a Space-Based 'Particle Beam' by 2023," 18 Mar. 2019 Meanwhile, the biggest mystery of Foer’s story — why did Trump and Russia need a computer server to communicate? — now has a coherent answer. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler?," 8 July 2018

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