1
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
the cogency of Thomas Paine's celebrated case for American independence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
satirical comments of great cogency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cogency
In one of its most demanding assignments of recent memory, the San Francisco Opera Chorus led by John Keene embodies one population after another — monkeys, undersea dwellers, gods and heavenly hangers-on — and does it with power and cogency.
—
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
TikTok’s algorithm started swamping me with humanities grad students of varying cogency.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
Masterpiece remakes offer something very different, speaking to us with surprising urgency and cogency across time.
—Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The play echoes this ever-important sentiment but with far less cogency on an American stage.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
European leaders refused to comment on the record about their perceptions of Biden’s cogency.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
The emphasis is on technical perfection, formal cogency, and unity of interpretive approach.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.
—Fredrik Logevall, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
TikTok’s algorithm started swamping me with humanities grad students of varying cogency.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
Masterpiece remakes offer something very different, speaking to us with surprising urgency and cogency across time.
—Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The play echoes this ever-important sentiment but with far less cogency on an American stage.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
European leaders refused to comment on the record about their perceptions of Biden’s cogency.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
The emphasis is on technical perfection, formal cogency, and unity of interpretive approach.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.
—Fredrik Logevall, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogency
Noun
-
The device uses heat therapy combined with SonicGlow to activate your skin care by assisting with deeper absorption and effectiveness.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But this loss of horsepower and expertise has come at the cost of her own effectiveness in the role—if, that is, effectiveness is really the goal to begin with.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Snow over the Denver metro area may start late Friday morning into the afternoon with minor impacts.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The impact sent a baby’s car seat flying.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But his dictionary, with its conclusiveness, was a huge publishing success.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Yet Monday’s flyby — the first time humans had reached the moon since 1972 — held emotional significance for the crew and space enthusiasts beyond the mission’s technical objectives.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The true significance of Pakistan's intervention only became clear when both sides agreed to a pause shortly after a down-to-the-wire plea from the country's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The family received numerous ransom notes since Nancy Guthrie was taken, and yet did not pay any ransom, which points to the police being unable to ascertain the validity of the notes or a lack of proof of life attached to them.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
7 Apr. 2026
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Officers will also look at the safety of the vehicle, use of seatbelts and the validity of the operator’s license.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mauresmo repeated the importance of privacy for players — an issue raised by Iga Swiatek and Gauff at this year's Australian Open.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Martone deflected a point shot from Matvei Michkov, the 21-year-old Russian who navigated an uneven first half of the season only to heat up as the games heightened in importance down the stretch.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Morales, wearing camouflage and armed with a long rifle, then escaped the home through a window, authorities said, per the Visalia Times-Delta.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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Heightened terror threat Whether the group is real or not, European authorities are taking the threat seriously, even as the United States and Iran have entered into a fragile ceasefire.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The beauty and persuasiveness of Claude’s response to Marks alone may be cause for skepticism, because personalization is one of Claude’s core product features.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
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The study released Thursday is not the first to try to measure the persuasiveness of AI.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogency. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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