coherent

Word family

• coherence
  nounC2
• coherently
  adverbC2
• incoherent
  adjectiveC2
• incoherently
  adverbC2
• incoherence
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Coherent, logical, consistent, and clear all describe ideas that are easy to understand, but each highlights a different quality. Logical emphasizes correct reasoning — the conclusion follows properly from the premises. Consistent means that no part of the idea contradicts another; the internal pieces agree with each other. Clear focuses on being easy to perceive without confusion or ambiguity. Coherent goes a step further: it describes an idea where all parts fit together naturally into a unified whole. For example, a speech may be logical (well-reasoned) and consistent (no contradictions) yet still lack coherence if the topics jump around without smooth transitions. A coherent argument connects every point seamlessly to the next, creating something that holds together as one complete picture.

Common collocations

Etymology

Coherent comes from the Latin word cohaerentem, the present participle of cohaerēre, meaning 'to stick together'. This Latin verb is formed from com- ('together') and haerēre ('to stick, cling'). The word entered English through French (cohérent) in the late 16th century. Its earliest uses were physical — describing things that literally stick together — but by the 1600s it was already being used metaphorically for ideas and arguments that 'hold together' logically.