incomprehensible

play

adjective in·com·pre·hen·si·ble \ (ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl \

Definition of incomprehensible

1 archaic :having or subject to no limits

2 :impossible to comprehend :unintelligible

incomprehensible instructions

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incomprehensibility

play \(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˌhen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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incomprehensibleness

noun

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incomprehensibly

play \(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-blē\ adverb

See incomprehensible defined for English-language learners

See incomprehensible defined for kids

Examples of incomprehensible in a Sentence

I found his behavior utterly incomprehensible.
It's incomprehensible to me that he could have acted that way.

Recent Examples of incomprehensible from the Web

Here’s a guide to The Atlantic’s ongoing coverage of an incomprehensible natural disaster that is still unfolding.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "The Latest on Hurricane Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
In the recent past, social media chatbots have created their own incomprehensible language, spouted expletives and in one memorable case, two Chinese AIs churned out anti-revolutionary statements and had to be taken offline.

— christopher elliott, USA TODAY, "For travelers, chatbots and AI can't quite take you there," 27 Aug. 2017
Of course, the idea that a woman would have to be visibly distraught to actually be believed—and that this argument is being used as a legal defense—is incomprehensible.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "Taylor Swift Ended the Sixth Day of Her Sexual Assault Trial in Tears," 14 Aug. 2017
Like his last video, which was a disturbing and sobering exploration of who died in World War II, this video, the first of a series, uses inventive visualizations to bring home otherwise incomprehensible numbers.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "How Many People Would Die in an All-Out Nuclear War?," 11 Aug. 2017
Islamic State atrocities are horrific, incomprehensible.

— andrew katz, TIME.com, "‘My mind will stay there forever’," 17 July 2017
However, given the enormity of the universe, even that incomprehensible number doesn't fill up much of the total volume.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "How Many Particles Are in the Observable Universe?," 11 July 2017
Sentences compounded, wandered into jargon, became incomprehensible.

— joe klein, Daily Intelligencer, "Bush at War," 30 June 2017
Above me, in the dim vault of the heavens, shone an incomprehensible object.

— sandi doughton, The Seattle Times, "‘A big dose of awe’: Last solar eclipse here, in 1979, changed Seattle author’s life," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incomprehensible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.