inarticulate
1 of 2adjective
in·ar·tic·u·late ˌi-(ˌ)när-ˈti-kyə-lət 
1
: incapable of giving coherent, clear, or effective expression to one's ideas or feelings
2
a(1)
: incapable of speech especially under stress of emotion : mute
(2)
: incapable of being expressed by speech
inarticulate fear
(3)
: not voiced or expressed : unspoken
society functions on many inarticulate premises
b
of a sound : uttered or formed without the definite articulations of intelligible speech
3
[New Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + New Latin articulatus articulate] : relating to, characteristic of, or being an inarticulate or its shell
inarticulately adverb
inarticulateness noun
inarticulate
2 of 2noun
: any of a class (Inarticulata) of brachiopods lacking a hinge connecting the two shell valves
Synonyms
Adjective
- mute
- speechless
- voiceless
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective He's smart, but somewhat inarticulate. I was almost inarticulate with rage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 When a handsome but inarticulate cadet, his alter-ego Christian (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), also falls for her, Cyrano starts writing her passionate letters signed on Christian's behalf. CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 More than any coherent political theory, the libertarian revival draws on inarticulate but powerful currents of anti-authoritarianism in American culture. Samuel Goldman, The Week, 2 Feb. 2022 In his quirky inarticulate way, Squires must be a great communicator. Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2020 And second, because by the end, the toxic romance between an ambitious but inarticulate film student (Honor Swinton-Byrne) and an arrogant, enigmatic older man (Tom Burke) had come to a fairly definitive conclusion. Rachel Handler, Vulture, 2 July 2021 My comments were the inarticulate reflection of long soul searching. Leah Asmelash And Melissa Alonso, CNN, 12 Mar. 2021 There are shades of Being There in the elevation of inarticulate Herschel to national folk-hero status, with his passion and unfiltered truth drawing support from free-speech advocates, who even start ruminating on a possible political future. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020 Clothing is an eloquent form of communication for the inarticulate. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2020 New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022 In Heaney, the inarticulate, the mumblers, the provincial found a powerful well source of description to draw from. Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022 See More
Adjective
Even the numbly inarticulate James records thoughts that trans readers might have had. Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 When a handsome but inarticulate cadet, his alter-ego Christian (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), also falls for her, Cyrano starts writing her passionate letters signed on Christian's behalf. CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 More than any coherent political theory, the libertarian revival draws on inarticulate but powerful currents of anti-authoritarianism in American culture. Samuel Goldman, The Week, 2 Feb. 2022 In his quirky inarticulate way, Squires must be a great communicator. Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2020 And second, because by the end, the toxic romance between an ambitious but inarticulate film student (Honor Swinton-Byrne) and an arrogant, enigmatic older man (Tom Burke) had come to a fairly definitive conclusion. Rachel Handler, Vulture, 2 July 2021 My comments were the inarticulate reflection of long soul searching. Leah Asmelash And Melissa Alonso, CNN, 12 Mar. 2021 There are shades of Being There in the elevation of inarticulate Herschel to national folk-hero status, with his passion and unfiltered truth drawing support from free-speech advocates, who even start ruminating on a possible political future. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2020 Clothing is an eloquent form of communication for the inarticulate. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2020 Noun
To understand the gap between how Nitram saw himself versus how others perceived the inarticulate, angry young man, Kurzel assigned Jones tasks: film himself with a video camera, doodle in a diary. New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022 In Heaney, the inarticulate, the mumblers, the provincial found a powerful well source of description to draw from. Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Late Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + articulatus, past participle of articulare to utter distinctly — more at articulate
First Known Use
Adjective
1603, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
Noun
1952, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
inarticulate
adjective
in·ar·tic·u·late i-när-ˈti-kyə-lət
1
: not able to express ideas or feelings clearly and easily
an inarticulate speaker
2
: not understandable as spoken words
an inarticulate mumble
inarticulate
adjective
as in mute
unable to speak the sudden rumblings of an earthquake rendered people inarticulate with fear Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- mute
- speechless
- voiceless
- incoherent
- silent
- incomprehensible
- taciturn
- tongue-tied
- laconic
- uncommunicative
- reserved
- closemouthed
- nonspeaking
- wordless
- reticent
- tight-lipped
- mum
- quiet
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- vocal
- talkative
- communicative
- loquacious
- expansive
- garrulous
- chatty
- talky
- gabby
- speaking
- blabby
- articulate
- eloquent
- voluble
- talking
- fluent
- expatiating
- articulating
- speaking out
- speaking up