incoherence
C1Formal / Academic
Definition
Meaning
Lack of logical or meaningful connection; the state of being unclear, illogical, or disjointed in thought, expression, or structure.
The state of speech, writing, or thought that is rambling, confused, and fails to form a clear, consistent whole. It can also refer to a lack of cohesion or harmony in a system, group, or piece of work.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily an uncountable noun describing a quality or state. Can occasionally be used in the plural ('incoherences') to refer to specific instances of illogical statements.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or usage differences. Both varieties use the term identically.
Connotations
Equally formal and academic in both dialects. Slightly more common in American philosophical and political discourse.
Frequency
Medium-low frequency in both, with slightly higher usage in American English based on corpus data.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[verb] + incoherence: demonstrate, reveal, exhibit, result in, suffer fromincoherence + [preposition]: incoherence of/in/withinVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms directly use 'incoherence'. Related: 'talk in circles', 'ramble on', 'lose the thread']”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to criticise a poorly structured strategy, report, or presentation: 'The market analysis was rejected due to its statistical incoherence.'
Academic
Common in philosophy, literary criticism, and political theory to describe faulty arguments or theories: 'The essay pointed out the fundamental incoherence of the proposed model.'
Everyday
Used to describe confusing speech, especially when tired, ill, or emotional: 'After the accident, his answers were filled with incoherence.'
Technical
In physics/engineering, can describe a lack of phase correlation in waves (though 'incoherency' is more technical).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The fever caused him to incohere in his midnight ramblings.
- Her arguments began to incohere under intense scrutiny.
American English
- The policy proposal starts to incohere when you examine the details.
- His testimony incohered under cross-examination.
adverb
British English
- He spoke incoherently, mixing up dates and names.
- The policy was incoherently implemented across regions.
American English
- She argued incoherently against the proposed changes.
- The data was presented incoherently in the draft.
adjective
British English
- His incoherent mutterings worried the doctor.
- The report was dismissed as incoherent and biased.
American English
- She gave an incoherent response to the press corps.
- The film's plot was exciting but ultimately incoherent.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- (Contextual) He was very tired and talked with a lot of incoherence.
- The letter was full of mistakes and incoherence, so it was hard to understand.
- After the long meeting, his notes showed some incoherence.
- The political speech was criticised for its logical incoherence and lack of clear proposals.
- Fever can sometimes lead to moments of incoherence in speech.
- The philosopher exposed the fundamental incoherence at the heart of the ethical framework.
- The novel's narrative deliberately embraced a certain incoherence to mirror the protagonist's fractured psyche.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'INside, the thoughts have no COHERENCE' – they don't stick together logically.
Conceptual Metaphor
THOUGHT/SPEECH IS A THREAD/TEXTILE → Incoherence is a TANGLED or BROKEN THREAD.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate directly as 'бессвязность' in all contexts; for technical 'incoherence of light', use 'некогерентность'.
- Avoid using 'инкогерентность' (a direct calque) as it is highly academic and rare in Russian.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'incoherance'.
- Using it as a countable noun too freely (e.g., 'He said three incoherences').
- Confusing with 'incohesiveness' (which is more about physical sticking).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely synonym for 'incoherence' in an academic context?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not directly. You describe a person's speech, thoughts, or writing as *showing* incoherence, or you describe the person as *being incoherent*.
'Inconsistency' means containing parts that contradict each other. 'Incoherence' is broader: it can mean inconsistency, but also includes being unclear, disjointed, or failing to form a logical whole. An argument can be consistent but still incoherent if it's based on unclear premises.
It is grammatically possible but uncommon and sounds very formal. The uncountable use ('a lot of incoherence', 'sheer incoherence') is standard. Use 'an instance of incoherence' or 'an incoherent statement' for clarity.
They are direct opposites. 'Coherence' is the quality of being logical, consistent, and forming a unified whole. 'Incoherence' is the lack of that quality. They share the same Latin root ('cohaerere' - to stick together).