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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
Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
At the same time, the dark blue color on my review unit is cohesive, and the rounded chrome edges look slick and make the laptop comfortable to hold in tablet mode.
—Mark Coppock, PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
These principles, proven on the athletic field, offer a durable and practical playbook for developing a cohesive and high-achieving team in any business setting.
—John Gallucci Jr, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Play with Texture By sticking to a cohesive palette of creams and midtone white oaks in this living room, designer Maureen Ursino put the focus on texture.
—Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
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