incoherent
adjective
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Something that is coherent holds or sticks together firmly, with resistance to separation (that is, it coheres). Coherent, ultimately from the Latin co- ("together") and haerēre ("to stick or cling"), entered English in the 16th century and almost from the beginning was used both of physical things ("coherent stone") and of things which hold together in a much less palpable way ("coherent thoughts"). Its antonym, incoherent, entered the language some decades later. Like coherent, incoherent can be applied to both the tangible and the intangible. But, whether we are speaking of sand or logic, all things incoherent have one thing in common: they do not hold together, literally or figuratively, in a unified or intelligible whole.
Examples of incoherent in a Sentence
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2024
There’s no shortage of accessible documentation showing the 78-year-old’s slide from strategically unpredictable to perilously incoherent.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024
Many presidential assassination attempts seem incoherent to anyone except the perpetrator.
—Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incoherent 
Dictionary Entries Near incoherent
Cite this Entry
“Incoherent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incoherent. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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incoherent
adjective
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incoherent
adjective
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