Incoherent
/ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərənt/
Definitions
Lacking clarity or organization; unable to express oneself in a clear and understandable way.
/ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərənt/
Lacking logical or meaningful connection
His response to the question was completely incoherent.
💡 Simply: Imagine trying to tell a story, but you keep switching ideas and no one can follow you. That's incoherent! It's like your words are all mixed up, and they don't fit together to make sense.
👶 For kids: When someone is talking and it doesn't make sense, like if they mix up all their words!
More Examples
The patient's speech became incoherent after the accident.
The instructions were so incoherent that I couldn't understand how to assemble the furniture.
How It's Used
"The speaker's argument was incoherent, jumping from one topic to another without any clear connection."
"The dream sequence in the novel was intentionally incoherent to reflect the character's state of mind."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
From Latin *incohærens* (not connected), from *in-* (not) + *cohærere* (to stick together, cohere).
The word 'incoherent' has been used since the late 16th century to describe something lacking a clear relationship between its parts.
Memory tip
Think of a broken radio signal; the sounds don't make sense.
Word Origin
"Not connected"