con·flu·ent
ˈkän-ˌflü-ənt 
kən-ˈflü-
: marked by or exhibiting confluence: such as
a
: flowing or coming together
confluent streams/rivers
You can hear the sound from the beach at a distance, before you see the people. It is that most extraordinary noise, half-shout, half-song, made by confluent, simultaneously raised human voices, explaining things to each other.—
Lewis Thomas
Lewis ThomasHe fought the swaying, jiggling motion, which was mixed with the warm confluent smells of rubber floor mat and petroleum combustion …—John Updike
John Updike
b
medical
(1)
of lesions or skin eruptions
: having run or grown together and so no longer discrete
The lesions begin as 1 to 3 mm macules that gradually become confluent assuming a reticulated lacelike pattern.—Pearl E. Grimes
Pearl E. Grimes
(2)
: characterized by lesions or skin eruptions that have run or grown together
On physical examination, patient A developed confluent urticaria that initially appeared on the thorax …—Thomas B. Casale et al.
Thomas B. Casale et al.
c
cell biology, of a cell culture
: covering the culture substrate completely or nearly completely
As the epithelial cell cultures become more confluent, they take on a cobblestone like appearance as the cells pack together.—Yvonne A. Reid
Yvonne A. ReidWhen a confluent culture of 3T3 cells is wounded, new growth occurs at the wound margins.—Graham A. Dunn et al.
Graham A. Dunn et al.Examples of confluent in a Sentence
Noun
several confluents slowly winding their way to the main river
Recent Examples on the Web
BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2021
National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
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Adjective
Those journeys were confluent with growing upheaval at home; the civil rights movement, racial conflict, and growing protests against the Vietnam War had thrust the country into a fractious moment.
—BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2021
Noun
Scholars have proposed different culprits, including malignant confluent smallpox whose symptoms include not only the headache, spots, and sores but also the yellowing of the skin.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Confluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confluent. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
confluent
adjective
con·flu·ent
ˈkän-ˌflü-ənt, kən-ˈ
1
: flowing or coming together
also
: run together
confluent pustules
2
: characterized by confluent lesions
confluent smallpox
compare discrete
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