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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
Rachel Dube,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
With Any River, the Winos have refined those traits into a more cohesive group sound while remaining winningly idiosyncratic.
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Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
19 June 2026
Alternatively, begin with a light base and pair it with an equally subtle tip shade—think non-stark, tonal hues for a cohesive, airy finish.
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Amanda Le,
InStyle,
19 June 2026
Liberal pundits suggested that Southgate had set out a more cohesive case for Englishness than the empty nostalgia offered by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson—and even that Southgate might do a better job.
—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cohesive
Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
