Adhere and cohere are paronyms (a subset of homonym), which means they are related terms. Yep, makes it harder to distinguish between ’em. Don’cha just love English!?
However, adhere indicates that things stick together physically due to a glutinous substance. Think adhesive tape!
Cohere adheres physically or figuratively sticks together for a common purpose.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Adhere | Cohere |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, intransitive & transitive
Third person present verb: adheres |
Verb, intransitive & transitive; Verb, reciprocal
Third person present verb: coheres |
| Sticks physically due to glutinous substance
Verb, intransitive: Stick fast to a surface or substance
Believe in and follow the practices of
[Physics; of two or more dissimilar substances] To be united by a molecular force acting in the area of contact [Usually followed by to] To hold closely or firmly [Obsolete] To be consistent Verb, transitive:
|
Sticks physically or figuratively together for a common purpose
Verb, intransitive: Be united
[Of an argument or theory] Be logically consistent [Physics; of two or more similar substances] To be united within a body by the action of molecular forces To be naturally or logically connected To agree
To become or stay united in action
Verb, transitive: Verb, reciprocal: |
| Examples: | |
| Verb, intransitive: Paint won’t adhere well to a greasy surface. Most Middle Easterners adhere to the Muslim religion. The account adhered firmly to fact. The mud adhered to his shoes. Geckos adhere to surfaces because of dispersion forces. Polly adhered to her beliefs. We have to adhere to the plan. His followers adhere to a blend of Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian teachings. Verb, transitive: The paper had been adhered to the wall. |
Verb, intransitive: Our mixed physical and spiritual natures cohere and mature. This view does not cohere with their other beliefs. The particles of wet flour cohered to form a paste. Without sound reasoning, no argument will cohere. Her account of the incident cohered with his. The account in his journal coheres with the official report of the battle. Beset by personal animosities, the people of the neighborhood could not cohere into an effective civic association. Verb, transitive: Verb, reciprocal: This coheres with Peel’s championing of alternative music. The empire could not cohere as a legitimate whole. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: adherable, adherent, nonadhering, unadhering Noun: adherence, adherent, adherer, adhering Verb, intransitive: preadhere, preadhered, preadhering |
Adjective: coherent, incoherent Adverb: coherently Noun: coherence, coherency, coherer, cohering, cohesion |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late 15th century, from the Latin adhaerere, which is from ad- (to) + haerere (to stick). | Mid-16th century, from the Latin cohaerere, from co- (together) + haerere (to stick). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves?
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Resources for Adhere versus Cohere
Apple Dictionary.com
Collins Dictionary: cohere
Dictionary.com: adhere, cohere
Kostakis, Will. The First Third. Penguin eBooks, 2013. <https://amzn.to/3CHN1vk>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Adhesion: Water on Pine Needles by J. Schmidt is courtesy of the US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service and in the public domain, via the US Geological Survey.
Revised as of 16 June 2023
By: Kathy Davie