cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or state of sticking together tightly

especially : unity

the lack of cohesion in the Party

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

cohesion among soldiers in a unit

2

: union between similar plant parts or organs

3

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesionless

kō-ˈhē-zhən-ləs 

adjective

Did you know?

Cohesion is one of the noun forms of cohere; the others are cohesiveness and coherence, each of which has a slightly different meaning. Coherence is often used to describe a person's speech or writing. An incoherent talk or blog post is one that doesn't "hang together;" and if the police pick up someone who they describe as incoherent, it means he or she isn't making sense. But to describe a group or team that always sticks together, you would use cohesive, not coherent. And the words you'd use in Chemistry class to describe the way molecules hang together—for example, the way water forms into beads and drops—are cohesion, cohesive, and cohesiveness.

Examples of cohesion in a Sentence

There was a lack of cohesion in the rebel army.

Recent Examples on the Web

But in the case of these two titanic works by Brahms and Tchaikovsky, this balanced presentation of nearly contemporaneous music can offer listeners a useful sense of cohesion — and no small degree of tension. —Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023

In some cases, this stems more from a lack of internal cohesion than a lack of will. —Carmine Di Sibio, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023

The beliefs that have made the U.S. a uniquely hospitable home for Jewish citizens are essential to national cohesion and strength. —Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2023

Linebacker Eric Kendricks said the defense’s shortcomings aren’t from a lack of general cohesion. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023

Then Maximus—the Daniel of their group, an orphan who’s visited for the first time that night by either extraterrestrial kin or schizophrenic hallucinations—complicates this assertion of cosmic cohesion by slipping out of his friends’ grasp. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023

The dynamic of the team, whether a result of these sibling duos or not, is one of unprecedented cohesion and group effort. —Lauren Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023

Others, from a time when musicals were not meant to be models of dramaturgical cohesion or gravitas, have plot holes the size of canyons, or a general air of silliness no longer in style. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023

Paul’s very good at making sure that there’s cohesion between everyone's ideas. —Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cohaesiōn-, cohaesiō (Medieval Latin, "proximity contact"), from Latin cohaes-, variant stem of cohaerēre "to stick together, cohere" + -iōn-, -iō -ion

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the action or state of sticking together

2

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesive

kō-ˈhē-siv

-ziv

adjective

cohesiveness noun

Medical Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or process of sticking together tightly

2

: the molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass compare adhesion sense 3