SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
inarticulate
adjective
Unable to express ideas or feelings clearly in speech.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unable to express clearly
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSpeechless is stronger than difficulty speaking clearly; inarticulate can mean thoughts are present but poorly expressed.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See inarticulate in use
Overwhelmed by the surprise, he became briefly inarticulate.
When her housemates offered to help move a heavy desk, Elise began to evince relief by relaxing her shoulders and smiling. Earlier, she had been inarticulate about the problem, struggling to explain why the room arrangement bothered her.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license