Basic Details
Word: Articulate
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Able to express ideas and feelings clearly in words. As a verb, it means to say or explain something clearly.
Synonyms: eloquent, fluent, clear, expressive
Antonyms: inarticulate, tongue-tied
How to Spell Articulate
Syllables: ar - tic - u - late
Tricky part: After artic comes a u, not an a: ar-tic-u-late. The word ends in late, with an e.
Watch out for: articalate, artikulate, articulat
Memory tip: Look for two small words inside: ar-TIC-u-LATE. A clock goes tic, and an articulate speaker is never late with an answer.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Ananya is an articulate speaker and won the inter-school debate.
Example 2: He found it hard to articulate how he felt after losing the match.
Example 3: An articulate letter to the editor got the potholes on our road fixed.
Fun Fact
Articulate comes from the Latin articulus, a small joint. Clear speech is jointed: it is divided into separate, distinct sounds and words, just as a finger is divided at its joints.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to articulate as used in the sentence:
The new class monitor is articulate and explains every rule clearly.
a) fluent
b) expressive
c) tongue-tied
d) eloquent
Show answer
c) tongue-tied. A tongue-tied person struggles to get words out, which is the reverse of being articulate.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
art_c_l_te
a) i, u, e
b) i, a, a
c) i, u, a
d) e, u, a
Show answer
c) i, u, a. The vowels run i, u, a in the middle: art-i-c-u-l-a-te.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
It is hard to auielratct your thoughts when you are very tired.
a) calculate
b) articulate
c) matriculate
d) particulate
Show answer
b) articulate. The jumble has no p and no m, so particulate and matriculate are out, and calculate is too short; the ten letters spell articulate, used here as a verb.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An articulate student is good at ____.
a) keeping secrets
b) running long races
c) drawing maps
d) putting ideas clearly into words
Show answer
d) putting ideas clearly into words
2. Used as a verb, articulate means ____.
a) to express clearly
b) to break into pieces
c) to keep quiet
d) to draw a picture
Show answer
a) to express clearly
