cogency

noun

co·​gen·​cy ˈkō-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce cogency (audio)
: the quality or state of being cogent

Examples of cogency in a Sentence

the cogency of Thomas Paine's celebrated case for American independence satirical comments of great cogency
Recent Examples on the Web Yet, by using Martin’s words to ferry one scene to the next, & Juliet also ends up emphasizing the cogency of his work. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022 But in her first directorial feature in 15 years, cinematographer Johnes doesn’t organize this material with ideal cogency. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022 But Post evidently finds inspiration in the late rocker’s gloomy cogency. Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 9 June 2022 Is Biden, who has already suffered attacks as to his mental cogency, up for it? Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 29 May 2022 His elliptic, woozy songwriting, crammed with texture and motion, yet shunning structure and cogency, subverted ideas about how rap songs could sound and be arranged. Stephen Kearse, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2022 Some of these changes blur the intimate cogency of the score, as Anthony Tommasini, at the Times, pointed out. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021 The creed loses its cogency and dissolves into a meaningless political talking point. Barton Swaim, WSJ, 18 June 2021 The third movement often lacked cogency, and several transitions were rough-hewn. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 13 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cogency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

cog(ent) + -ency

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cogency was in 1667

Dictionary Entries Near cogency

Cite this Entry

“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cogency. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cogency

noun
co·​gen·​cy ˈkō-jən-sē How to pronounce cogency (audio)
: the quality or state of being cogent

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