cogent
Americanadjective
-
convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
-
to the point; relevant; pertinent.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- cogency noun
- cogently adverb
- noncogent adjective
- noncogently adverb
- uncogent adjective
- uncogently adverb
Etymology
Origin of cogent
1650–60; < Latin cōgent- (stem of cōgēns, present participle of cōgere to drive together, collect, compel), equivalent to cōg- ( co- co- + ag-, stem of agere to drive) + -ent- -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their playing was electric in its immediacy, cogent in conception and executed with meticulous care—the orchestra sounding lush yet transparent, with enviably subtle dynamic shifts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
The kids in these videos are often cogent and persuasive, but their words don’t matter to the viewers.
From Salon • Sep. 24, 2025
Some of this stuff was cogent, a lot of it was tiresome, but ultimately—and this is key—all of it was the result of pressure from the public.
From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025
The raw footage shows she was quoted accurately, although CBS had edited her response by using her most cogent sentence.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025
In the book, Charles was trying to make a strong, coherent, cogent argument for creation by natural selection.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
