articulate
Other forms: articulated; articulating; articulates
To articulate is to say something. And, if you say it well, someone might praise you by saying you are articulate. Confused yet? It's all in the pronunciation.
Reach for articulate when you need an adjective meaning "well-spoken" (pronounced ar-TIC-yuh-lit) or a verb (ar-TIC-yuh-late) meaning "to speak or express yourself clearly." The key to understanding articulate's many uses is to think of the related noun article: an articulate person clearly pronounces each article of his or her speech (that is, each word and syllable), and an articulated joint is divided up into distinct articles, or parts.
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express or state clearly
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speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
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types:
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twang
pronounce with a nasal twang
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devoice
utter with tense vocal chords
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raise
pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth
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lilt
articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way
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palatalise, palatalize
pronounce a consonant with the tongue against the palate
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nasalise, nasalize
pronounce with a lowered velum
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nasalise, nasalize
speak nasally or through the nose
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mispronounce, misspeak
pronounce a word incorrectly
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aspirate
pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds
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sound, vocalise, vocalize, voice
utter with vibrating vocal chords
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retroflex
articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate
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subvocalise, subvocalize
articulate without making audible sounds
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syllabise, syllabize
utter with distinct articulation of each syllable
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drawl
lengthen and slow down or draw out
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labialise, labialize, round
pronounce with rounded lips
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lisp
speak with a lisp
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accent, accentuate, stress
put stress on; utter with an accent
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vocalise, vocalize, vowelise, vowelize
pronounce as a vowel
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click
produce a click
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trill
pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'
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sibilate
pronounce with an initial sibilant
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flap
pronounce with a flap, of alveolar sounds
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explode
cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/
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roll
pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/
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chirk
make a shrill creaking, squeaking, or noise, as of a door, mouse, or bird
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quaver, waver
give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
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put into words or an expression
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synonyms:
formulate, give voice, phrase, word
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types:
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ask
direct or put; seek an answer to
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lexicalise, lexicalize
make or coin into a word or accept a new word into the lexicon of a language
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dogmatise, dogmatize
state as a dogma
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formularise, formularize
express as a formula
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cast, couch, frame, put, redact
formulate in a particular style or language
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provide with a joint
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unite by forming a joint or joints
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expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language“articulate speech”“an articulate orator”“articulate beings”
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Synonyms:
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eloquent, facile, fluent, silver, silver-tongued, smooth-spoken
expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
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speech-endowed
capable of speech
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well-spoken
speaking or spoken fittingly or pleasingly
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communicative, communicatory
able or tending to communicate
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spoken
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
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Antonyms:
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inarticulate, unarticulate
without or deprived of the use of speech or words
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aphasic
unable to speak because of a brain lesion
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aphonic, voiceless
being without sound through injury or illness and thus incapable of all but whispered speech
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dumb, mute, silent
unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
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dumb
lacking the power of human speech
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incoherent, tongue-tied
unable to express yourself clearly or fluently
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mute, tongueless, unspoken, wordless
expressed without speech
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dumb, speechless
temporarily incapable of speaking
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unarticulated
uttered without the use of normal words or syllables
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incommunicative, uncommunicative
not inclined to talk or give information or express opinions
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eloquent, facile, fluent, silver, silver-tongued, smooth-spoken
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consisting of segments held together by joints
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synonyms:
articulated
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jointed
having joints or jointed segments;
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Antonyms:
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unarticulated
not consisting of segments that are held together by joints
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unjointed
without joints or jointed segments
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jointed
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Vocabulary lists containing articulate
During a Hanukkah vacation on the island of Nantucket, sixteen-year-old Shira Barbanel makes a deal with Tyler Nelson to give her flirting lessons in exchange for an introduction to her media executive great-uncle.
Eleven-year-old Olive Miracle Martin searches the Tennessee woods for a magical hummingbird to grant her wish for stronger bones so that she could be a normal middle schooler.
In this memoir, the award-winning adventurous author shares his observations and relationships with different animals, including mutts, mares, and laughing dinosaurs.
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