confluent

[ kon-floo-uhnt ]

adjective

1. flowing or running together; blending into one:

   confluent rivers;

   confluent ideas.

2. Pathology.
   1. running together:

      confluent efflorescences.

   2. characterized by confluent efflorescences:

      confluent smallpox.

noun

1. one of two or more confluent streams.
2. a tributary stream.

ˈconfluent

/ ˈkɒnflʊənt /

adjective

1. flowing together or merging

noun

1. a stream that flows into another, usually of approximately equal size

Word History and Origins

Origin of confluent¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin confluent-, stem of confluēns “flowing together”; equivalent to con- + fluent

Word History and Origins

Origin of confluent¹

C17: from Latin confluēns, from confluere to flow together, from fluere to flow

Example Sentences

In contrast, Americans have viewed this year’s confluent catastrophes of a deadly pandemic and economic nosedive through a political and cultural kaleidoscope, with little sense of collective grief or sacrifice.

From Los Angeles Times

“At some point, we’re going to have a confluent epidemic in the U.S.,”

From Washington Post

And unlike other links, which offer an array of difficulty, Shinnecock's layout is confluent, each hole as hard as the last.

From Golf Digest

There are, of course, many confluent factors – bias, rampant harassment, lack of mentorship – that contribute to this widening gap, but one stands out: caregiving.

From The Guardian

The confluent streams of inquiry function as a parallel, related, pool of ideas, which may or may not be useful to a person sitting in the darkened theater.

From New York Times