Word Confusion: Adhere versus Cohere

Posted January 31, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
16 June 2023

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
She Slimed Me by jurvetson is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. — Ick! That slime really adheres to his hand.	Celebrating at Grace Lutheran Church by graceofapplevalley is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. — The congregants cohere to a similar belief.
Part of Grammar:
Verb, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: adheres Past tense or past participle: adhered Present participle: adhering	Verb, intransitive & transitive; Verb, reciprocal Third person present verb: coheres Past tense or past participle: cohering Present participle: cohered
Sticks physically due to glutinous substance Verb, intransitive: Stick fast to a surface or substance To stay attached Stick fast Cleave [Usually followed by to] Cling Believe in and follow the practices of Represent truthfully and in detail To be devoted in support or allegiance [Usually followed by to] Be attached as a follower or upholder [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: To cause to cling Make stick	Sticks physically or figuratively together for a common purpose Verb, intransitive: Be united Form a whole To stick together Hold fast, as parts of the same mass [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 Be congruous Be consistent To become or stay united in action Be in accord Verb, transitive: To cause to form a united, orderly, and aesthetically consistent whole Verb, reciprocal: Form a united whole by fitting together the different elements of a piece of writing, a piece of music, or a set of ideas
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: Glue will adhere the tiles to the wallboard. 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: “It is also an amusing read; the respective tentative forays of both Bill and Sticks into love and romance with all their mishaps and misunderstandings cohere the novel” (Kostakis). Verb, reciprocal: The various elements of the novel fail to cohere. 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).