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

Intentional and proactive nurturing the organization's 'community' and creating social connectivity is now a vital part of maintaining the vibrancy and cohesion of the workforce, not something left to chance as summer barbecues. —Andrew Mawson, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024

In fact, there’s a surprising cohesion to the rooms, despite each designers’ separate vision. —Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 27 Sep. 2024

And while the politics behind the shift are crystal clear, the implications for the Continent’s cohesion, cooperation, and future growth are looking much murkier. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2024

As the booming startups of yesteryear struggle under the weight of unrealistic valuations, the cracks in their foundations—poor team cohesion, lack of clear purpose—become glaringly obvious. —Chris O’Neill, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2024

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