incommunicable

adjective

in·​com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble ˌin-kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce incommunicable (audio)
: not communicable: such as
b
: incapable of being communicated or imparted
incommunicability noun
incommunicably adverb

Examples of incommunicable in a Sentence

the vastness of the universe is incommunicable
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And nothing is more isolating, more incommunicable, than the grief of a parent who has been unable to save their child’s life. Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 In a way, Tiffany’s rendering of fandom as specific and incommunicable risks undermining her premise, which has to do with the massed power of people online. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 28 June 2022 After more than a decade away, the author is back with Piranesi, a way to communicate the incommunicable. Jason Kehe, Wired, 21 Sep. 2020 What surprised me was the poetic potential of scurvy, with its awfulness and that terrible sense of isolation, when the possibility of ecstatic delights was inconceivable and incommunicable. National Geographic, 15 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin incommunicabilis, from Latin in- + Late Latin communicabilis communicable

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incommunicable was in 1568

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incommunicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incommunicable. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

incommunicable

adjective
in·​com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble ˌin-kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce incommunicable (audio)
: not capable of being communicated
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