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The Latin verb haerēre has shown remarkable stick-to-itiveness in influencing the English lexicon, which is fitting for a word that means "to be closely attached; to stick." Among its descendants are adhere (literally meaning "to stick"), adhere’s relative adhesive (a word for sticky substances), inhere (meaning "to belong by nature or habit"), and even hesitate (which implies remaining stuck in place before taking action). In Latin, haerēre teamed up with the prefix co- to form cohaerēre, which means "to stick together." Cohaerēre is the ancestor of cohesive, a word borrowed into English in the early 18th century to describe something that sticks together literally (such as dough or mud) or figuratively (such as a society or sports team).
Examples of cohesive in a Sentence
Jordan Greene, People.com, 16 Apr. 2025
If head coach Tom Thibodeau had it his way, his team would be hitting its stride — sharp, cohesive, connected — with the playoffs on the horizon.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
The sunny set includes a quilt in twin/twin XL, full/queen, and king sizes and matching shams to create a cohesive look in your space.
—Megan Schaltegger, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2025
Over five first-rate essay collections and one very good, if underrated, novel, Meghan Daum has written a cohesive, almost novelistic narrative about a character named Meghan Daum.
—Thomas Beller, Air Mail, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cohesive
Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
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