I was preparing to assemble the needed items for redoing the flooring in another room upstairs when Patti announced that before anything further was to be done with the flooring in the house the dining room needed to be repainted. She then proceeded to make a cogent argument for proceeding in that order. I countered with some cogent points about building another shelving unit in the garage before progressing with the dining room update. We have now agreed on a procedure.
Cogent means appealing persuasively to the mind or reason. A cogent claim is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cogere, meaning to drive or force together. Cogere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix ‘co’ (jointly, together) with the verb agere, to drive, lead, or act.
Interestingly, agere is the root from which the word ‘agent’ comes from. One definition of agent is a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.
Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one. A cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. A presentation that is relevant, is a cogent one.
On Halloween night the variety of costumes gave a cogent reason to give out candy. We certainly were not in need of any tricks to get us to part with our delicious treats. We might be bias, but our little granddaughters needed no fancy costumes to have a cogent influence for getting treats as their cuteness is sufficient.
Sometimes, cogent implies having the power to compel or constrain. The army had enough cogent forces to compel the surrender of the rebels. She had sufficient cogent influences to constrain the rest of the board from voting for the motion.
Synonyms of cogent can include valid, sound, convincing, and telling, with subtle differences.
The student gave valid reasons for not finishing the homework assignment. Valid implies being supported by objective truth or generally accepted authority. ‘The dog ate my homework’ is usually not a valid reason.
Sound entails a basis of flawless reasoning or that of solid ground. Surprisingly, the government minister gave a sound proposal for revitalizing the economy.
Convincing suggests a power to overcome doubt, opposition, or reluctance to accept. The head of the organization presented a convincing argument for restructuring.
Telling infers an immediate and crucial effect striking at the heart of a matter. The inquiry reported a telling example of bureaucratic waste.
Cogent stresses the strength of an argument for acceptance and lucidity of presentation. Patti was able to provide a cogent answer to my query about the next steps in the renovation saga. I have been convinced. Now, on to the next step.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
