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

• impenetrable
• unfathomable
• ungraspable
• unintelligible

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

What was over the hill was unknown and what went on behind a nation's borders was incomprehensible. —David Szondy may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2025

How he was even charged as a result of this situation is incomprehensible. —Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 22 May 2025

Voyager 1 also spent months sending incomprehensible data back to Earth, until NASA teams figured out a fix. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

The new figure, however, is just as incomprehensible — a 1 with 78 zeros. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 May 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