AskDefine | Define articulate

Dictionary Definition

articulate adj
1 expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language; "articulate speech"; "an articulate orator"; "articulate beings" [ant: inarticulate]
2 consisting of segments held together by joints [syn: articulated] [ant: unarticulated]


1 provide with a joint; "the carpenter jointed two pieces of wood" [syn: joint]
2 put into words or an expression; "He formulated his concerns to the board of trustees" [syn: give voice, formulate, word, phrase]
3 speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way; "She pronounces French words in a funny way"; "I cannot say `zip wire'"; "Can the child sound out this complicated word?" [syn: pronounce, enounce, sound out, enunciate, say]
4 express or state clearly [syn: enunciate, vocalize, vocalise]

User Contributed Dictionary



  • Adjective:
    • AHD: ärtĭ'kyələt
    • IPA: /ɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/ (RP), /ɑːrtɪkjələt/ (US)
    • SAMPA: /a:"tIkjUl@t/ (RP), /a:rtIkjUl@t/ (US)
  • Verb:
    • AHD: ärtĭ'kyəlāt
    • IPA: /ɑːˈtɪkjʊleɪt/ (RP), /ɑːrtɪkjəleɪt/ (US)
    • SAMPA: /a:"tIkjUleIt/ (RP), /a:rtIkjUleIt/ (US)


  1. clear, effective
  2. especially, speaking in a clear or effective manner
    She’s a bright, articulate young woman.
  3. able to bend or hinge at certain points or intervals
    The robot arm was articulate in two directions.


clear, effective
  • German: klar, effektiv
  • Hungarian: érthető, világos
speaking in a clear or effective manner
  • German: redegewandt
  • Hungarian: artikulált
able to bend or hinge at certain points or intervals


  1. To make clear or effective.
  2. To speak clearly; to enunciate.
    I wish he’d articulate his words more clearly.
  3. To explain; to put into words; to make something specific.
    I like this painting, but I can’t articulate why.
  4. To bend or hinge something at intervals, or to allow or build something so that it can bend.
    an articulated bus
  5. to attack a note, as by tonguing, slurring, bowing, etc.
    Articulate that passage heavily.
  6. to form a joint or connect by joints
    The lower jaw articulates with the skull at the temporomandibular joint.


  • French: articuler
  • German: artikulieren (1,2), ausdrücken (3), betonen (5)
  • Ido: artikular
  • Romanian: articula

Extensive Definition

Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words

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