Cohesive

/koʊˈhiːsɪv/

adjectiveIntermediate📊CommonDescriptive
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

characterized by or causing the sticking together of parts or things

/koʊˈhiːsɪv/

adjectivepositiveIntermediate
Descriptive

Sticking together; united; forming a united whole.

The team had a cohesive strategy for winning the game.

💡 Simply: Imagine a bunch of LEGO bricks that are super strongly stuck together; that's cohesive! It means all the parts are working together as one.

👶 For kids: Stuck together tightly like glue!

More Examples

2

The cohesive forces in the material give it great strength.

How It's Used

Social Sciences

"The cohesive nature of the community was evident in their collective response to the crisis."

Physics

"The cohesive forces within the liquid are strong, leading to high surface tension."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

From Latin cohāsīvus, from cohærēre "to stick together, cling".

The word has consistently referred to the state of sticking together, though its application across various fields has broadened over time.

Memory tip

Think 'co' (together) + 'hesive' (sticking)

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to stick together"

highly cohesivestrongly cohesivecohesive groupcohesive structure

Common misspellings

coheasivecohesieve

Usage

20%Spoken
80%Written