eloquence

UK: /ˈɛləkwəns/ US: /ˈɛləkwəns/ ,(el′ə kwəns)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

el•o•quence  (el′ə kwəns), n. 

1. the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness.
2. eloquent language or discourse:
   a flow of eloquence.

• Latin ēloquentia. See eloquent, -ence
• Anglo-French
• Middle English 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

eloquence / ˈɛləkwəns/ noun

1. ease in using language to best effect
2. powerful and effective language
3. the quality of being persuasive or moving

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

el•o•quent /ˈɛləkwənt/   adj. 

1. skilled in or showing fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech:
   an eloquent teacher.
2. (of actions, gestures, etc.) forcefully showing feeling or emotion.

el•o•quence /ˈɛləkwəns/  n. [uncountable]
el•o•quent•ly, adv. See -loq-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

el•o•quent  (el′ə kwənt), adj. 

1. having or exercising the power of fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech:
   an eloquent orator.
2. characterized by forceful and appropriate expression:
   an eloquent speech.
3. movingly expressive:
   looks eloquent of disgust.

• Latin ēloquent- (stem of ēloquēns, present participle of ēloquī) speaking out, eloquent, equivalent. to ē- e- + loqu- speak + -ent- -ent
• Anglo-French)
• Middle English (1350–1400

el′o•quent•ly, adv. 
el′o•quent•ness, n. 
Synonyms

Eloquent, fluent, articulate, expressive are adjectives that characterize speech or speakers notable for their effectiveness. Eloquent suggests clarity and power:
an eloquent plea for disarmament.
Fluent, with a root sense of flowing, refers to easy, smooth, facile speech:
fluent in three languages.
Articulate characterizes a clear and effective speaker or speech:
an articulate spokesman for tax reform.
Expressive focuses on rendering intelligible or meaningful the ideas or feelings of a speaker or writer and implies an especially effective, vivid use of language:
a deeply moving, powerfully expressive evocation of a city childhood.
See also fluent.