cogency

noun

ˈkō-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce cogency (audio)
Definition of cogencynext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogency
  1. effectiveness
  2. impact
  3. conclusiveness
  4. significance
  5. validity
  6. importance
  7. authority
  8. persuasiveness
Noun
  • The effectiveness of the approach will depend on how well the systems perform under operational conditions and against evolving electronic warfare threats.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That recommendation went against the scientific conclusion of FDA’s staff scientists, who reiterated that none of the peptides had been studied enough to establish their safety and effectiveness.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of effectiveness
Noun
  • The production was shut down in Livingston, Montana last Saturday when locals complained about the production’s impact on the Livingston food bank and improper warnings about hazardous stunts.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Take Niklas Adalberth, who used his wealth from co-founding Klarna to set up the impact investor Norrsken, or Karl-Johan Persson, H&M chairman and grandson of its founder, who regularly backs Swedish startups.
    — Jan Larsson, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of impact
Noun
  • On Friday morning, Burke’s defense team tried to sow doubt about the conclusiveness of the autopsy conducted in the case.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • But his dictionary, with its conclusiveness, was a huge publishing success.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Definition of conclusiveness
Noun
  • Bears Ears is a living cultural landscape and sacred ancestral homeland of deep significance to Tribal Nations.
    — Mary Beth Laughton, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hassen discussed the significance of Type V composite pressure vessels, and their potential.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of significance
Noun
  • The canvassing board is made up of Garcia and two county judges, and is responsible for determining the validity of ballots and whether they should be counted.
    — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a distrust in the validity of big data, with everything seeming more vulnerable than ever to outside influence by unseen forces with specific agendas.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of validity
Noun
  • The project highlights the growing importance of the defence industrial base in determining how quickly military modernization programmes can deliver results.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Qatar has been building an international energy portfolio for more than a decade, and those assets are taking on more importance as the country’s exports have dwindled during the Iran war.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of importance
Noun
  • In the narrative to has unfolded from authorities and passenger accounts, Machchhar had the presence of mind to open the locked door of the cockpit after he was stabbed.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Jackson has not been identified by authorities as a suspect or person of the interest in the killing.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of authority
Noun
  • Others cite the lack of a persuasive justification for conflict, the strikes themselves and subsequent fits and starts of peacemaking as evidence that America’s global image has been undermined, as has the persuasiveness of its public claims.
    — Christopher Nichols, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The persuasiveness of these efforts, however, is diminished when a WRO is modified without transparency and despite readily accessible evidence indicating that conditions for the workers have not truly improved.
    — Charity Ryerson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of persuasiveness

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Cite this Entry

“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogency. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cogency

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cogency

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