Cogent
What it means
Clear, relevant, and logically forceful enough to persuade.
Reach for it when praising reasoning whose structure and evidence support its conclusion
The engineer made a cogent case for repairing the bridge before widening it.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal |
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| literary |
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everyday
Fits when the communication successfully changes minds
Careful Persuasion can use status, charm, or pressure instead of cogent logic.
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everyday
Fits when plain praise should foreground the quality of thought
Careful Well-reasoned is accurate but lacks cogent's sense of concise force.
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professional
Fits when the whole case earns belief
Careful A convincing performance can rely on emotion or realism rather than reasoning.
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professional
Fits when the argument lands with strength
Careful Forceful delivery can overpower listeners while the reasoning remains poor.
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professional
sound
Fits when the argument rests on reliable reasoning or evidence
Careful Sound can be correct without being clearly presented or persuasive.
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formal
Fits when the case has unusually strong force
Careful Compelling is stronger and can describe interest or urgency.
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literary
Fits when the reasoning is exceptionally clear and ordered
Careful Lucid reasoning can be easy to follow yet rest on weak evidence.
Opposites 3
- illogical
- unconvincing
- specious
Common phrases 3
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cogent argument
Her cogent argument addressed the strongest objection directly.
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cogent case
The usage data made a cogent case for keeping the evening route.
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cogent explanation
A cogent explanation connected each recommendation to one observed risk.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: EncycloPetey, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated