Synonym Study 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.