What does "articulate" mean?
An animal of the subkingdom Articulata.
Articulate
/ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An animal of the subkingdom Articulata.
- Grammar: articulate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: enunciate, pronounce, speak, accents.
- Useful contrasts: anaphasic, common inarticulacies, continuous mumbling.
- Usage evidence: Sometimes he has difficulty being articulate about his views.
How to use "articulate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "articulate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "articulate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "articulate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "articulate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "articulate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "enunciate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "articulate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An animal of the subkingdom Articulata.
"They considered articulates to be pre-adapted for an eleutherozoic existence because they possess muscular arms which are potentially of value in crawling and swimming, as in comatulids."
Verb
- 1 To make clear or effective. transitive
- 2 express or state clearly wordnet
- 3 To speak clearly; to enunciate. ambitransitive
"I wish he’d articulate his words more clearly."
- 4 speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way wordnet
- 5 To explain; to put into words; to make something specific. transitive
"I like this painting, but I can’t articulate why."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 put into words or an expression wordnet
- 7 To bend or hinge something at intervals, or to allow or build something so that it can bend. transitive
"an articulated bus"
- 8 provide with a joint wordnet
- 9 To attack a note, as by tonguing, slurring, bowing, etc. transitive
"Articulate that passage heavily."
- 10 unite by forming a joint or joints wordnet
- 11 To form a joint or connect by joints. intransitive
"The lower jaw articulates with the skull at the temporomandibular joint."
- 12 To treat or make terms. obsolete
"Send us to Rome / The best, with whom we may articulate / For their own good and ours."
Adjective
- 1 Clear; effective.
- 2 Speaking in a clear and effective manner; having both good articulation and good elocution.
"She’s a bright, articulate young woman."
- 3 Consisting of segments united by joints.
"jointed articulate animals"
- 4 Distinctly marked off.
"an articulate period in history"
- 5 Expressed in articles or in separate items or particulars. obsolete
"articulate sounds"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Related to human speech, as distinct from the vocalisation of animals. obsolete
"Brutes cannot form articulate Sounds, cannot articulate the Sounds of the Voice, excepting some few Birds, as the Parrot, Pye, &c."
- 7 Articulated (all senses). obsolete
"Theſe things indeede you haue articulate(d), Proclaim'd at Market Croſſes, read in Churches, To face the Garment of Rebellion VVith ſome fine colour, that may pleaſe the eye Of fickle Changelings, and poore Diſcontents, Which gape, and rub the Elbovv at the nevves Of hurly burly Innouation : And neuer yet did Inſurrection vvant Such vvater-colours, to impaint his cauſe : Nor moody Beggars, ſtaruing for a time Of pell-mell hauocke, and confuſion,"
Adjective
- 1 expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language wordnet
- 2 consisting of segments held together by joints wordnet
Example
"Sometimes he has difficulty being articulate about his views."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "articulate"?
Common synonyms include: enunciate, pronounce, speak, accents, accouple, accumulate.
How do you use "articulate" in a sentence?
Sometimes he has difficulty being articulate about his views.
How do you pronounce "articulate"?
Pronounced /ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1531, the verb in 1551; borrowed from Latin articulātus (“distinct, articulated, jointed”), perfect passive participle of articulō, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.