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
For the reporters covering this president, it has, in a word, been impossible to pull a cogent quote from him.
From Salon • Nov. 14, 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
Judge Harjeet Singh found that the prosecution "has failed to collect cogent and convincing evidence… regarding participation of the accused in unlawful activities or otherwise".
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2025
Variation and natural selection offer cogent explanations of the mechanism by which evolution might occur within a species, but they do not explain the formation of species per se.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
