1
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
the cogency of Thomas Paine's celebrated case for American independence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of cogency
In one of its most demanding assignments of recent memory, the San Francisco Opera Chorus led by John Keene embodies one population after another — monkeys, undersea dwellers, gods and heavenly hangers-on — and does it with power and cogency.
—
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
TikTok’s algorithm started swamping me with humanities grad students of varying cogency.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
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Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.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
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025
TikTok’s algorithm started swamping me with humanities grad students of varying cogency.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
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Here, his body of writing, published as well as unpublished, historical as well as contemporaneous, stands out for its cogency, intricacy, and fluency.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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogency
Noun
-
By combining cutting-edge protection, mobility, and digital integration, these vehicles are set to play a crucial role in enhancing military effectiveness and safeguarding personnel.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Today, affordability is becoming just as important as effectiveness.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But understanding the caution doesn’t lessen the impact of his absence.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
During a sentencing hearing in Ireland, a victim-impact statement is sometimes delivered in court.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But his dictionary, with its conclusiveness, was a huge publishing success.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
This remarkable find was unearthed at the earliest military camp discovered in the area, which holds national significance due to its Roman remains.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Britain’s strategic significance for the United States eroded further with Brexit, starting in 2016 with the approval of a referendum to leave the European Union and the formal withdrawal four years later.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Kim, jailed since August, plans to appeal the ruling to South Korea’s Supreme Court as her legal team contests the investigation’s validity.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Some hotels also have validity windows (for instance, travel within six to twelve months of your wedding).—
Shradha Shahani,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Charles, who is well-known for his love of nature and the importance of sustainability, fed chickens in a coop together with the kids.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
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Through their applause and standing ovations, Democrats showed more support than many Republicans for the monarch’s remarks, particularly on the importance of NATO and environmental protection.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Anybody who sees any sort of spill or leak in progress should call 911 and the proper authorities will be alerted, Ravitch said.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The beauty and persuasiveness of Claude’s response to Marks alone may be cause for skepticism, because personalization is one of Claude’s core product features.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
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The study released Thursday is not the first to try to measure the persuasiveness of AI.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cogency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogency. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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