1
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
the cogency of Thomas Paine's celebrated case for American independence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
satirical comments of great cogency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cogency
Masterpiece remakes offer something very different, speaking to us with surprising urgency and cogency across time.
—
Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The play echoes this ever-important sentiment but with far less cogency on an American stage.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
European leaders refused to comment on the record about their perceptions of Biden’s cogency.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
The emphasis is on technical perfection, formal cogency, and unity of interpretive approach.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.
—Fredrik Logevall, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
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
Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The play echoes this ever-important sentiment but with far less cogency on an American stage.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
European leaders refused to comment on the record about their perceptions of Biden’s cogency.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
The emphasis is on technical perfection, formal cogency, and unity of interpretive approach.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.
—Fredrik Logevall, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogency
Noun
-
Element Human, which uses behavioral AI to measure creative effectiveness, analyzed a recent Jake collaboration with creator Daniel LaBelle.—
Jamie Gutfreund,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Injection wells could also help reduce Arizona’s carbon footprint through carbon capture, though some scientists question that technology’s effectiveness.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More generally, the Nepalese public criticized the government’s measures disproportionate impact on ordinary users.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The psychological impact of this shift cannot be overstated.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Though the Dublin area’s luxury market has typically peaked around $4 million, Knollwood’s scale, provenance, and cultural significance set it apart.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
-
This venue holds particular significance, is where Serena captured six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles there, while Venus won two of her seven major championships on those same courts.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And there is some validity to the fact that the Broncos played against a rookie quarterback, Cam Ward, and a group of receivers (yes, looking at you, Calvin Ridley) who simply could not hold onto the ball.—
Gladys Louise Tyler,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Several of these firings have led to lawsuits over the nature and validity of the president's ability to replace these individuals, calling into question the limits of the president to control personnel across the federal government.—
Peter Aitken
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Smith touched on the importance of the award before the artist touched the stage, especially due to the fact that Abloh was regarded as an innovator and cultural steward.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Gray comments come as businesses place more importance on emotional intelligence, or EQ, a skill increasingly seen as essential for executives.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His father, a hard-working Russian immigrant and patriotic US bomber pilot, taught him to respect authority.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Under applicable law, judges are only expected to vacate an arbitration award in narrow circumstances, such as when the award is procured by fraud or when the arbitrator exceeded their contractual authority.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The film’s considerable power depends entirely on its moment-to-moment persuasiveness, on a set of narrative and aesthetic choices that, as presented—in a series of swift, kinetically composed, and jaggedly edited scenes—seldom feel like choices at all.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Every individual brings unique needs, preferences and strengths.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
This new gel, however, manages to combine strength, healing, and sensing capabilities in one material, which is a rare feat.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogency. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share