coherence

coherence — noun

1. the quality of being well-organised and clear, where every part of an argument,

1.nounC2
Definition

the quality of being well-organised and clear, where every part of an argument, article, or set of ideas connects smoothly to the others so that the whole thing is easy to understand — for example, a paragraph in which sentences follow one another logically has coherence, while one that jumps between unrelated points does not.

Example

The professor noted the strong coherence between the data and the conclusions in Leila's research paper.

coherence + between + [nouns]

To improve coherence, the editor asked the writer to add short linking sentences between each section.

structure: improve coherence

Common collocations
  • coherence between X and Y
  • internal coherence
  • overall coherence
  • lack coherence
  • improve the coherence
  • strong coherence
  • weak coherence
Synonyms
  • consistency

    focuses on ideas not contradicting each other rather than smooth flow

  • unity

    suggests a single, unified effect rather than step-by-step logical connection

  • clarity

    emphasises how easy something is to understand, not necessarily the internal structure

  • logical flow

    more informal, often used for writing or speech; less academic

Antonyms
  • incoherence

    direct opposite; lack of logical connection

  • disorganisation

    focuses on messy structure rather than lack of logic specifically

Grammar Patterns

coherence + between/in/of [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Often used with adjectives such as 'strong', 'weak', 'internal', 'overall', or 'logical'. The verb 'cohere' and the adjective 'coherent' share the same root — learners often confuse 'coherent' with 'cohesive', which focuses on social or emotional unity rather than logical flow.

Common Mistakes

The essay had a good coherence.
The essay had good coherence.
Coherence is uncountable; do not use 'a' before it.
There was coherence between the team members.
There was cohesion between the team members.
Use 'cohesion' for social or group unity; 'coherence' is for ideas, arguments, or writing.

Word family

  • cohere
    verbC2
  • coherent
    adjectiveB2
  • coherently
    adverbC1
  • incoherence
    nounC2
  • incoherent
    adjectiveC1
  • incoherently
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words describe a kind of 'wholeness' in writing or ideas, they differ in emphasis. 'Coherence' is about the logical flow that lets readers move smoothly from one point to the next. 'Consistency' focuses on the absence of contradiction — a text is consistent when it does not say opposite things, but it could still lack coherence if the order of ideas is confusing. 'Unity' means that all parts serve a single central purpose; a paragraph may have unity (everything relates to one topic) but lack coherence (the sentences do not connect logically). 'Clarity' is about how easy the meaning is to grasp, independent of structure — a message can be clear even if it jumps between ideas. 'Cohesion' is the closest near-synonym but is often reserved for social or group bonding (e.g., team cohesion), not logical structure. In academic writing, 'coherence' is the preferred term for the logical thread that ties a whole argument together.

consistency ↗unity ↗clarity ↗cohesion ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • lack of coherence
  • sense of coherence
  • the coherence of an argument

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'cohaerentia' meaning 'a sticking together', from 'co-' (together) + 'haerere' (to stick). Entered English via French in the 16th century, originally used for physical sticking, later extended by philosophers and writers to describe logical connection in the 17th-18th centuries. The modern sense — focusing on ideas and arguments rather than physical objects — became standard in the 19th century.