Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

confluent

play
adjective con·flu·ent \ˈkän-ˌflü-ənt, kən-ˈflü-\

Definition of confluent

  1. 1 :  flowing or coming together; also :  run together confluent pustules

  2. 2 :  characterized by confluent lesions confluent smallpox

See confluent defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

steve-bannon
Trending: Bannon: One of Us is Going to be a 'Hegemon'
watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Origin and Etymology of confluent

Middle English, from Latin confluent-, confluens, present participle of confluere to flow together, from com- + fluere to flow — more at fluid

2

confluent

noun con·flu·ent

Definition of confluent

  1. :  a confluent stream; broadly :  tributary

Examples of confluent in a Sentence

  1. several confluents slowly winding their way to the main river

First Known Use of confluent

1849

confluent Synonyms

Synonyms
affluent, bayou, branch, tributary, feeder, influent
Antonyms
distributary, effluent
Related Words
backwater; brook, brooklet, creek, rill, rivulet, run [chiefly Midland], streamlet; fountainhead, head, headstream, headwater, source

Medical Dictionary

confluent

play
adjective con·flu·ent \ˈkän-ˌflü-ənt, kən-ˈ\

Medical Definition of confluent

  1. 1:  flowing or coming together; also :  run together confluent pustules

  2. 2:  characterized by confluent lesions confluent smallpox—compare discrete

Learn More about confluent

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for confluent

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up confluent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

waif

play

an extremely thin woman

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  2. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  3. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  4. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  5. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

confluent

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

image1489982902
Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: confluent in a Sentence