incomprehensible

adjective

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

1

: impossible to comprehend : unintelligible

incomprehensible instructions

2

archaic : having or subject to no limits

incomprehensibility

(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˌhen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

incomprehensibleness noun

incomprehensibly

(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• unintelligible
• mysterious
• unfathomable
• confusing
• uncanny
• esoteric
• impenetrable
• obscure
• cryptic

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 on the Web

Her scream resonated with the one in my chest while also being incomprehensible and beyond me. —Literary Hub, 28 July 2025

Without answers, the grieving process was incomprehensible. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 24 July 2025

Lots of Rules, Lots of Cash Rules governing property and building codes are thick and can be incomprehensible to most homeowners. —Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

And as the discourse around it keeps stacking up, what started as a silly turn of phrase has devolved into an incomprehensible mess that’s preventing people from noticing the much more insidious shift around them. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin incomprehensibilis, from in- + comprehensibilis comprehensible

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for incomprehensible

• comprehensible
• indefensible
• indispensable
• reprehensible
• supersensible
• compensable
• condensable
• defensible
• dispensable
• extensible
• insensible
• ostensible

Kids Definition

incomprehensible

adjective

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

: impossible to understand

found their behavior incomprehensible

incomprehensibility

-ˌhen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

incomprehensibly

-ˈhen(t)-sə-blē 

adverb