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
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Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.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
But in her first directorial feature in 15 years, cinematographer Johnes doesn’t organize this material with ideal cogency.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022
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Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.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
But in her first directorial feature in 15 years, cinematographer Johnes doesn’t organize this material with ideal cogency.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogency
Noun
-
The third down against the Chiefs shows all three at work and perhaps provided a blueprint for how Denver can maximize Nix’s effectiveness in the postseason.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
12 Jan. 2026
-
It was used with extreme effectiveness by Adolf Hitler during the 1930s and continued until his death by suicide in 1945.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
They’re designed for higher intensity workouts like road running, so they’re optimized with airy cushioning to absorb impact around your heels, the balls of your feet, your ankles, and knees.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The impact is most clearly seen in the price of gold, which advanced sharply last year, its best year in decades.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But his dictionary, with its conclusiveness, was a huge publishing success.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Please note that if a mental health condition of significance is truly at hand, relying on AI is not the way to proceed.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Tell me more about the Bay Area’s significance in cocktail history.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Acupuncture is considered a pseudoscience, as there is little scientific evidence to support the validity of its effects.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Both pleaded not guilty and pursued several arguments to have their respective indictments dismissed, including the validity of Halligan's appointment and claims of vindictive prosecution.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sitting beside him, Europe’s leaders shrugged off the importance of the US to European security.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Mean Girls actress candidly discussed the importance of the Academy Awards during an interview with The New Yorker, and gave a surprising response when asked if winning an Oscar was important to her.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Andrademembreno’s attorney, Paul Rogers, argued that Berrios lied and pointed to multiple inconsistent statements to authorities and prosecutors and in her testimony.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The risk of a partial government shutdown at the end of January grew more likely Saturday after Senate Democrats vowed to block a funding package over a fatal Minneapolis shooting involving federal law enforcement authorities.—
The Hill Staff,
The Hill,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The study released Thursday is not the first to try to measure the persuasiveness of AI.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The film’s considerable power depends entirely on its moment-to-moment persuasiveness, on a set of narrative and aesthetic choices that, as presented—in a series of swift, kinetically composed, and jaggedly edited scenes—seldom feel like choices at all.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogency. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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