cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or state of sticking together tightly

especially : unity

the lack of cohesion in the Party

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

cohesion among soldiers in a unit

2

: union between similar plant parts or organs

3

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesionless

kō-ˈhē-zhən-ləs 

adjective

Did you know?

Cohesion is one of the noun forms of cohere; the others are cohesiveness and coherence, each of which has a slightly different meaning. Coherence is often used to describe a person's speech or writing. An incoherent talk or blog post is one that doesn't "hang together;" and if the police pick up someone who they describe as incoherent, it means he or she isn't making sense. But to describe a group or team that always sticks together, you would use cohesive, not coherent. And the words you'd use in Chemistry class to describe the way molecules hang together—for example, the way water forms into beads and drops—are cohesion, cohesive, and cohesiveness.

Examples of cohesion in a Sentence

There was a lack of cohesion in the rebel army.

Recent Examples on the Web

Leaders are applying these principles throughout the United States, using decisive communication to foster trust and cohesion within their communities. —Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

The Titans also lost their top three scorers from that team, so there is a lot of production that needs to be replaced and cohesion to be developed as the team heads into its season opener at reigning WAC champion Grand Canyon on Monday at 6 p.m. PT. —Staff Report, Orange County Register, 4 Nov. 2024

Carlson’s brand of nationalism plays on a range of desires, from the lowest to the loftiest: the yearning for communal cohesion, for satisfying work, for a life rich with meaning. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

On the whole, what is remarkable about Germany in World War II is the ideological cohesion among the military rather than any incoherence, something tightened by the initial victories and unraveling only at the very end, in 1944 and 1945. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cohaesiōn-, cohaesiō (Medieval Latin, "proximity contact"), from Latin cohaes-, variant stem of cohaerēre "to stick together, cohere" + -iōn-, -iō -ion

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the action or state of sticking together

2

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesive

kō-ˈhē-siv

-ziv

adjective

cohesiveness noun

Medical Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or process of sticking together tightly

2

: the molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass compare adhesion sense 3