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A cogent argument is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable, and perhaps also because of the etymological history of cogent. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cogere, meaning “to drive or force together.” Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one, and cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. Cogere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix co- with the verb agere, “to drive, lead, or act,” a root which is also the source of our familiar noun agent. Handily enough, one definition of agent is “a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.” It follows logically then that cogency is often a worthwhile agent, indeed.
Synonyms
Examples of cogent in a Sentence
David Hajdu, Mother Jones, September/October 2003
Your article provides cogent reading.
—Mario Cuomo, letter
U.S. News & World Report, 23 Mar. 1992
Your arguments, whether or not one agrees with them, are generally cogent, and at times elegantly expressed.
—Willard R. Espy, letter
Wall Street Journal, 24 Apr. 1990
The author … makes a cogent and finely nuanced case for the wisdom—indeed, the necessity of this vision.
—Marian Sandmaier, New York Times Book Review, 8 Feb. 1987
the results of the DNA fingerprinting were the most cogent evidence for acquittal
Steven Aquino, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Amid its frenzied storytelling, the film offers a cogent theory of modern masculinity: Men suck at communicating.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
Affleck excels here in a tremendously off-putting role (seemingly the one he was born to play), but the film’s most cogent, exciting moments come when Lonergan splits off to show us the town’s bizarre side characters.
—EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Ending this war will require a clear and cogent vision for a new security architecture for the region.
—Lise Morjé Howard, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cogent 
Dictionary Entries Near cogent
Cite this Entry
“Cogent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cogent. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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cogent
adjective
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