Incoherence

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪəɹəns/

Definitions

1. The quality of lacking logical connection or consistency, making something difficult to understand or follow
2. The state of being unclear or illogical, resulting in a message that cannot be easily comprehended or rationally followed
3. The condition of presenting thoughts or ideas without coherence, leading to confusion and a lack of clarity in communication

Etymology: The word is a simple construction: the prefix "in-" (meaning "not") attached to "coherence," which comes from Latin "cohaerere," literally "to stick together," formed from "con-" ("together") and "haerere" ("to stick"). Coherence in English carries the sense of things holding together logically, and incoherence is its negation, the absence of such connection. English took "coherence" through Middle French, and the negated form was built on the same pattern in English itself. The source suggests the model came from Italian "incoerenza," so the word arrived by analogy rather than being inherited directly from Latin. Its base sense was physical adhesion, and the logical meaning developed from that image of pieces that either hold together or fall apart.

Synonyms: confusion, disorder, incomprehensibility, illogicality, chaos

Antonyms: clarity, coherence, logicality, order, understanding