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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
Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Despite multiple meetings to discuss a path forward, leaders have yet to announce a cohesive strategy on how to respond to the cyber threats posed by Anthropic's latest model.
—Seema Mody, CNBC, 28 May 2026
Although hijras claim to exist outside of the Hindu caste system, in practice the hijra community operates similarly to a caste in having recognized ritual and economic roles (such as fertility ritual performances) and acting as a cohesive group.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
Getty Images Disney recently updated the My Plans area of the My Disney Experience app to provide each trip with a cohesive flow.
—Megan Dubois, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
