consistent

adjective

con·sis·tent kən-ˈsi-stənt

Synonyms of consistent next

: marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction

a consistent style in painting

: marked by agreement : compatible

—usually used with with

statements not consistent with the truth

: showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom

a consistent patriot

: tending to be arbitrarily close to the true value of the parameter estimated as the sample becomes large

a consistent statistical estimator

archaic : possessing firmness or coherence

consistently

kən-ˈsi-stənt-lē

adverb

Examples of consistent in a Sentence

… the sixty-five-year-old filmmaker continues to practice his craft with consistent artistic aplomb. —

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2001

I am not consistent about giving vibrancy and other kinds of input to a relationship. … There are periods when I am the most attentive and thoughtful lover in the world, and periods, too, when I am just unavailable. —

Toni Cade Bambara, "A Conversation with Claudia Tate," in The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987

One of the strengths of Blake's letters is their consistent readability … —

William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982

The rhythm of the gesture never varied. The paper flew in identically the same arc at each doorway, landed in identically the same spot. It was impossible for anybody to throw with such consistent perfection. —

Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, (1962) 1976

He is a consistent supporter of the museum. We need to be more consistent in handling this problem. Customers expect that the quality of service they receive will be consistent. The pain has been consistent. Your grades have shown consistent improvement this school year. Their descriptions of the accident were consistent. The decision was consistent with the company's policy. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Vince Camuto Vince Camuto has been consistent with its savings. —

Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Nov. 2023 OpenAI employees may not like the board’s dramatic retort that allowing the company to be destroyed would be consistent with the mission–but those board members saw it that way. —

Ann Skeet, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2023 The forecast is consistent with the average annual holiday increase of 3.6% from 2010 to pre-pandemic 2019. —

Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Nov. 2023 Although its circulation never topped 30,000, Washington Monthly gained influence among the District’s policy and journalism elite for its consistent tone of indignation. —

Timothy R. Smith, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 This almost makes sense, even with just a single consistent timeline. —

Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023 This time, the images are consistent with the devices the cases are made for — and Dbrand claims that’s because Casetify stole its designs. —

Emma Roth, The Verge, 23 Nov. 2023 The forensic accountant and former deputy chief accountant at the SEC was asked a series of questions related to Trump's financial statements and its supporting data used by the outside accounting firm Mazars, and whether its methods were consistent with accounting standards. —

Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023 What would be the Chargers’ worries about the Packers, who have not had a consistent offense this season. —

Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consistent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin consistent-, consistens, present participle of consistere "to come to a halt, remain at the same level, take up a position, reside, be composed of, be established (in a given state)" — more at consist entry 1

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler

The first known use of consistent was in 1638

See more words from the same year