10 vocabulary words that show you’re more articulate than most

Words are tools. Use better tools, build better things—ideas, arguments, relationships.

Below are ten words I lean on when I want to be clear, crisp, and persuasive without sounding like I swallowed a thesaurus.

Each one earns its spot because it pulls real weight in everyday conversations, emails, and meetings.

1. Cogent

When an argument is cogent, it’s not just true—it’s compelling. It hangs together. The pieces lock in place and feel hard to argue with.

I reach for this when I want to praise someone’s thinking without sounding gushy. “That was a cogent case for delaying the launch.” Notice how it signals both logic and relevance.

Try it when you’re summarizing a pitch, a memo, or even a friend’s take on a movie. It’s stronger than “good point,” and way more specific.

Example: “Your proposal is cogent—especially the way you tie customer feedback to the budget.”

2. Succinct

“Succinct” is brevity with backbone. It says, “You cut the fluff and kept the meaning.”

Two classic reminders live rent-free in my head. Strunk & White’s rule to “omit needless words” (from The Elements of Style) is evergreen—clean writing is clear thinking.

And as Blaise Pascal put it, “I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”

When someone asks for “a quick update,” give a succinct one and you immediately read as competent.

Example: “Here’s the succinct version: two blockers, one fix in progress, ETA tomorrow.”

3. Nuance

“Nuance” is the antidote to hot takes. It’s the signal that you see shades of gray.

I use it to slow the conversation down when everyone’s racing to conclusions. “There’s nuance here—we’re conflating two different user groups.” The word itself invites a more careful lens.

You can also flip it into a verb (“nuance this a bit”) or an adjective (“nuanced view”) when you’re editing a document or giving feedback on a plan.

Example: “Let’s add more nuance to the section on environmental impact—it varies by region.”

4. Salient

The salient points are the ones that stick out and actually matter. Not every fact deserves equal airtime; salient ones drive decisions.

When a meeting drifts, I’ll ask, “What are the salient risks?” That question rescues time. It tells people you’re focusing on signal, not noise.

Example: “Three salient insights from the survey: price sensitivity jumped, trust lags, and delivery time matters more than features.”

5. Mitigate

“Mitigate” doesn’t mean “eliminate.” It means reduce the impact. That distinction is powerful in risk conversations, health, sustainability, or budgeting.

Using “mitigate” turns you into a pragmatist. You’re not hand-waving away problems; you’re taming them. I learned this the hard way on a photo shoot where we couldn’t avoid bad light—but we could mitigate it with reflectors and timing.

Example: “We can’t avoid churn completely, but we can mitigate it by tightening onboarding and check-ins.”

6. Delineate

To delineate is to map the edges—clarify boundaries, roles, scope. It’s precision in motion.

Anytime a project gets fuzzy, this word helps. “Let’s delineate responsibilities so design isn’t waiting on product, and product isn’t guessing on copy.” Suddenly, the fog lifts.

It’s also excellent in personal life. Delineate your non-negotiables and you’ll make faster, kinder decisions.

Example: “Can we delineate what’s MVP versus nice-to-have before sprint planning?”

7. Conflate

We often conflate things—blend them as if they’re the same when they aren’t. Calling it out is a subtle flex that saves the room from a bad decision.

I’ve mentioned this before, but half of clear thinking is noticing category errors. “We’re conflating urgency with importance.” That line alone can steer a team back on course.

Use it gently. It’s not about scoring points; it’s about separating threads so the conversation can breathe.

Example: “Stakeholders are conflating ‘more features’ with ‘more value.’ The data shows speed is what customers care about.”

8. Unequivocal

Sometimes you need to be absolutely clear. Unequivocal means there’s no wiggle room—no ambiguity, no hedging.

It’s a power word in decisions and ethics. “Our stance on sourcing is unequivocal.” That lands harder than “We’re pretty sure.” In email, it also prevents those reply-all spirals caused by vague language.

Example: “To be unequivocal: we will not ship anything that fails accessibility checks.”

9. Heuristic

A heuristic is a quick rule of thumb—a mental shortcut we use to make decisions faster. Useful, but imperfect.

In product or career choices, naming your heuristic makes you look like an adult in the room. “My hiring heuristic: strong learning velocity beats perfect pedigree.” It signals that you’re efficient without pretending to be omniscient.

Heuristics are everywhere—“two-minute rule” for tasks, “no meetings after 3 p.m.” for focus, “buy it once, buy it right” for gear. The word lets you acknowledge shortcuts and their limits.

Example: “As a heuristic, if a feature doesn’t help a first-week user, we push it to the backlog.”

10. Orthogonal

In math, orthogonal means at right angles. In conversation, it means unrelated. This is my favorite way to redirect discussions that drift into new (and irrelevant) territory.

“Interesting, but orthogonal to the decision.” It’s a respectful boundary. You’re not shutting down curiosity—you’re keeping today’s goal intact.

I picked this up while reading behavioral science papers. Researchers use it to separate variables so their conclusions don’t wobble. It works just as well in meetings and family debates.

Example: “The brand color debate is orthogonal to the safety review—let’s park it.”

How to use these without sounding pretentious

A quick rule I borrow whenever I’m tempted to bloat a sentence: “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.” Big words aren’t a substitute for clear thinking; they’re amplifiers for it.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Match the word to the moment. Saying “salient” in a status update makes sense; saying it when you’re texting a friend about pizza toppings… maybe not.

• Pair precise words with concrete examples. “Mitigate risk” lands better when you add, “by splitting the rollout.”

• Keep it human. A five-dollar word wrapped in a friendly sentence beats a jargon brick every time.

And if you’re editing your own notes, channel Strunk & White—“omit needless words.”. Brevity isn’t about being short; it’s about being sharp.

A quick cheat sheet you can copy into your notes

• Cogent = convincing because it’s logically tight.

• Succinct = brief and complete.

• Nuance = subtle detail or distinction.

• Salient = stands out as important.

• Mitigate = reduce the impact, not erase it.

• Delineate = draw the boundaries clearly.

• Conflate = mix up things that shouldn’t be mixed.

• Unequivocal = no ambiguity whatsoever.

• Heuristic = useful shortcut with limits.

• Orthogonal = unrelated to the matter at hand.

Use them in emails, in one-on-ones, in proposals, and in your everyday conversations. You’ll sound more articulate—not because you’re showing off, but because you’re saying exactly what you mean.