articulate
adjective
ar·tic·u·late
| \ är-ˈti-kyə-lət
\
\
Definition of articulate
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: expressing oneself readily, clearly, and effectively
an articulate teacher
also
: expressed in such a manner
an articulate argument
b
: divided into syllables or words meaningfully arranged : intelligible
an articulate cry/utterance
c
: able to speak
So furious was he that he was hardly articulate …— Arthur Conan Doyle
articulate
verb
ar·tic·u·late
| \ är-ˈti-kyə-ˌlāt
\
\
articulated;
articulating
Definition of articulate (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to give clear and effective utterance to : to put into words
articulate one's grievances He found it hard to articulate his feelings.
b
: to utter distinctly
articulating each note in the musical phrase
c
: to give definition to (something, such as a shape or object)
Eight shades of gray were chosen to articulate different spaces.— Carol Vogel
d
: to give shape or expression to (something, such as a theme or concept)
a drama that uses eerie props to articulate a sense of foreboding
2a
: to unite by or as if by means of a joint : joint
b
: to form or fit into a systematic whole
articulating a program for all school grades
1
: to utter clear and understandable sounds
2
: to become united or connected by or as if by a joint
Most bones articulate with other bones in one or more places.
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Other Words from articulate
Adjective
articulately
adverb
articulateness
noun
Verb
articulative
\ -lə-tiv
, -ˌlā- \
adjective
, -ˌlā- \
adjective
articulator
\ -ˌlā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for articulate
Synonyms: Adjective
eloquent, fluent, silver-tongued, well-spoken
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Adjective
inarticulate, ineloquent, unvocal
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Examples of articulate in a Sentence
Adjective
But he clearly adored his quick-witted and mercilessly articulate elder daughter. Contrary to feminist accounts of her patriarchal imprisonment, Emily Dickinson's objections to her father's strictures had an affectionate tone … — Christopher Benfey, New York Review of Books, 17 Jan. 2002 The engaging and articulate Bol makes campers realize how fortunate they are to have the freedoms enjoyed in America, and he emphasizes the importance of capitalizing on their opportunities to get the most out of life. — Chris Broussard, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2002 Among the most articulate critics of the tests are the boycotting students, who complain about narrowing opportunities and shrinking curricula. — Peter Schrag, Atlantic, August 2000 She's an intelligent and articulate speaker. He was very articulate about his feelings on the subject. The baby is beginning to form articulate words and phrases.Verb
She was shocked, she told me, to see that he insisted on talking about her ideas—and about the pains and hopes that gave rise to them. "The only way to keep it is to give it away," he told her, articulating and enacting the essence of altruism. — Joshua Wolf Shenk, Atlantic, June 2009 "Fiction just doesn't interest me," one 41-year-old construction worker told CNN. "If I'm going to get a story, I'll get a movie," he said, articulating an attitude surely shared by many others in our media-saturated world. — Sara Nelson, Publishers Weekly, 27 Aug. 2007 Erudite, elderly, and introspective, one of my patients articulates clearly some of today's dilemmas facing both alcoholic patients and their physicians. — Thomas L. Delbanco, Journal of the American Medical Association, 13 Mar. 1996 He had some trouble articulating his thoughts. We disagree with the views articulated by the administration. a theory first articulated by ancient philosophers the bones that articulate with the clavicle
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Rapinoe has become the most consistent and articulate spokesperson for the women’s national team in the players’ battle for equal pay. — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, "World Cup 2019: Megan Rapinoe Commands the Stage," 29 June 2019 That figures such as Maza — and, more consequently, the suits at Google — are not conscious and articulate followers of that ideology is not especially important. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Crowder Isn’t a Threat to Public Safety," 6 June 2019 The result was a smaller but more articulate Professor Hulk. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Here's What Happens in the Extra Scenes From the Avengers: Endgame Re-Release," 29 June 2019 Look out for this scenario: A candidate will get a question about, say, tariffs, and will reply with an articulate yet impassioned speech about another topic entirely. — James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, "The Democratic debates begin tomorrow. Here’s what to watch for," 26 June 2019 All candidates for public office (national, state or local) should have cybersecurity programs for their own campaign operations and also be able to clearly articulate cybersecurity policy statements. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: New DIA drop-off doesn’t work for those with disabilities; Hot takes on Wednesday’s debate; Colo.’s public projects curse (6/28/19)," 28 June 2019 Instead, expect breezy wit and articulate characters solving mysteries in Scandinavian locales, from the astonishingly prolific author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. — National Geographic, "12 travel books you won’t be able to put down this summer," 28 June 2019 Not surprisingly, all four scholars were exceptionally well-spoken and articulate. — Vincent Andrunas, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Encouraging journalism students," 10 June 2019 Ty Tashiro, psychologist and the author of The Science of Happily Ever After, tells SELF that some partners are not very articulate during verbal disagreements. — Anne Roderique-jones, SELF, "Something I Can't Recommend Enough: Fighting With Your Partner Over Email," 20 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But the true Americans consider this sort of acuity — and the freedom to articulate America’s pervasive contradictions — to be a threat. — Damon Young, Time, "How I Came to View the American Flag as a Threat," 12 Sep. 2019 Since signing with Brooklyn, Durant has attempted to articulate his Warriors experience and his decision to move on. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Dennis Rodman dissects Dubs dynasty; Curry, Draymond get thumbs up, Durant gets destroyed," 12 Sep. 2019 The way Americans live must change dramatically over the next five years and the candidates need to more clearly articulate their vision for this future. — Alissa Walker, Curbed, "Americans spend too much money on housing. Why aren’t the candidates talking about it?," 1 Aug. 2019 Sadly, the program format does little to allow the candidates enough time to clearly articulate a cogent vision for the nation. — Jonathan D. Salant, al, "Who won Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate? Experts grade the candidates," 31 July 2019 Unconcerned with the minutiae of policy proposals or manifesto pledges, his work was to articulate a praxis of politics to serve a nation. — R.c., The Economist, "How conservatives—on the left and on the right—can defeat the populists," 9 July 2019 This [bill] would force companies to articulate that value. — Gregory Barber, WIRED, "Senators Want Facebook to Put a Price on Your Data. Is That Possible?," 26 June 2019 Church authorities finally felt the need to articulate a Christian economic morality. — Sara Lipton, The New York Review of Books, "A Terribly Durable Myth," 17 June 2019 Since then, his administration has struggled to articulate a plan to reunite families or determine what effect doing so would have on enforcement, given the limited bed space for families. — Jazmine Ulloa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Migrant children won't be reunited with parents who are still in custody, top official says," 26 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'articulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.