eloquent

adjective

el·o·quent | \ ˈe-lə-kwənt

Definition of eloquent

1 : marked by forceful and fluent expression an eloquent preacher

2 : vividly or movingly expressive or revealing an eloquent monument

Other Words from eloquent Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about eloquent

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Did You Know?

Since "eloquent" can have to do with speaking, it makes sense that it comes from the Latin verb loqui, which means "to speak." "Loqui" is the parent of many "talkative" offspring in English. "Loquacious," which means "given to fluent or excessive talk," also arose from "loqui." Another "loqui" relative is "circumlocution," a word that means someone is talking around a subject to avoid making a direct statement (circum- means "around"). And a "ventriloquist" is someone who makes his or her voice sound like it’s coming from another source.

Examples of eloquent in a Sentence

He [H. L. Mencken] relished the vagaries of vernacular speech and paid eloquent homage to them in The American Language. — Jackson Lears, New Republic, 27 Jan. 2003 Samuel Johnson is palmed off in classrooms as a harmless drudge of a lexicographer, yet open the Dictionary anywhere and find precision and eloquent plainness. — Guy Davenport, The Geography of the Imagination, (1954) 1981 There was a burst of applause, and a deep silence which was even more eloquent than the applause. — Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886 His success serves as an eloquent reminder of the value of hard work. an eloquent writer and speaker, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the founders of the women's rights movement

Recent Examples on the Web

Chryst, normally not a poetic speaker, gave an eloquent comment when asked about seeing Cephus back on the field. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW's Quintez Cephus celebrates his return to Camp Randall Stadium with two touchdowns," 7 Sep. 2019 Jessie Buckley gives a superb performance as the woman hired to be Garland’s assistant; Buckley’s reactions of impatience mixed with sympathy are eloquent. — Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Judy': Film Review | Telluride 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 Although Belle’s attempted bribery came out in the trial, the facts of the case and Baker’s eloquent closing argument prevailed. — Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, "San Francisco love story: A hooker, her gambling man and a hanging," 23 Aug. 2019 There are many ways to describe a goal of such quality and others were certainly more eloquent with their praise for Neves. — SI.com, "Twitter Reacts as Wolves End Manchester United's One-Game Winning Streak With 1-1 Draw at Molineux," 19 Aug. 2019 En-mei’s initial answers were predictable, if eloquent. — Alex Perry, Outside Online, "The Last Days of John Allen Chau," 24 July 2019 But over the course of her season, Hannah surpassed expectations, proving to be an eloquent voice of empowerment. — Lisa Bonos, Washington Post, "On ‘The Bachelorette,’ the best part wasn’t who Hannah picked — it was who she became," 31 July 2019 That Bolling could resurrect his career after a #MeToo scandal bears eloquent testimony to just how much Trump has changed conservative media. — Jake Bittle, The New Republic, "Eric Bolling Is Failing Up," 28 June 2019 Booed by fans of one of the most eloquent sporting events, McEnroe's bad-boy persona was epitomized with this memorable tantrum in the first round vs. Tom Gullikson. — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "Ranking the 10 most iconic Wimbledon moments of the Open era," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eloquent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for eloquent

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin ēloquent-, ēloquens "capable of speech, expressing oneself fluently," from present participle of ēloquī "to utter, put into words," from ē- e- entry 1 + loquī "to talk, speak," probably going back to dialectal Indo-European *tlok^w- "talk," whence also Old Irish ad-tluichethar "(s/he) gives thanks" (originally with buide "thanks" as object, as in atluchedar buidi do Día "he thanks God"), do-tluichethar "(s/he) desires, beseeches, asks," Old Church Slavic tlŭk "interpreter" (from *tl̥k^w-o-)