inarticulate
adjective/ˌɪnɑːˈtɪkjələt/
/ˌɪnɑːrˈtɪkjələt/
- (of people) not able to express ideas or feelings clearly or easily
- She was inarticulate with rage.
Extra Examples- He gave a particularly inarticulate reply.
- You can't expect an inarticulate young child to defend himself in court.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (of speech) not using clear words; not expressed clearly
- an inarticulate reply
opposite articulate
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from in- ‘not’ + the adjective articulate; the sense ‘not clearly pronounced’ corresponds to that of late Latin inarticulatus.
Check pronunciation:
inarticulate