incoherent

[ in-koh-heer-uhnt, -her- ]

adjective

1. without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling:

   an incoherent sentence.

   Synonyms: muddled, irrational, confused

2. characterized by such thought or language, as a person:

   incoherent with rage.

3. not coherent or cohering:

   an incoherent mixture.

4. lacking physical cohesion; loose:

   incoherent dust.

5. lacking unity or harmony of elements:

   an incoherent public.

6. lacking congruity of parts; uncoordinated.
7. different or incompatible by nature, as things.
8. Physics. (of a wave) having a low degree of coherence. Compare coherent ( def 4 ).

incoherent

/ ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərənt /

adjective

1. lacking in clarity or organization; disordered
2. unable to express oneself clearly; inarticulate
3. physics (of two or more waves) having the same frequency but not the same phase

   incoherent light

Derived Forms

• ˌincoˈherence, noun
• ˌincoˈherently, adverb

Other Words From

• inco·herent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of incoherent¹

First recorded in 1620–30; in- ³ + coherent

Example Sentences

"Her politics, which are otherwise incoherent, tend to be sympathetic to these two strongmen, painting America as the problem and the dictators as misunderstood," wrote anti-Trump conservative and former Naval War College professor Tom Nichols in an op-ed published by The Atlantic.

From Salon

Just before the election, Oldham authored a shocking and incoherent opinion, which Ho joined, declaring that it is illegal for states to count mail ballots that are cast by Election Day.

From Slate

And, not for nothing, but voters watched Trump grow increasingly drawn, incoherent, and bizarre on the campaign trail, raising questions about his baseline ability to perform any job, then made him president anyway.

From Slate

But the bosses’ incoherent, inconsistent devotion to this stance has escalated to the point that the mere use of words like vote will have your posts buried by the algorithm in a drastic manner.

From Slate

And yes, incoherent and inconsistent are the correct adjectives here, in light of a recent report from the Intercept that uncovered how Meta’s Israel policy chief, Jordana Cutler, deliberately pushed for the censorship of pro-Palestine student groups on Instagram by erroneously framing those groups as blacklisted organizations.

From Slate

Related Words

• disjointed
• incomprehensible
• incongruous
• irrational
• jumbled
• muddled
• puzzling
• rambling
• uneven