ineffable

adjective in·ef·fa·ble \ (ˌ)i-ˈne-fə-bəl \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of ineffable

1 a : incapable of being expressed in words : indescribable

ineffable joy

b : unspeakable

ineffable disgust

2 : not to be uttered : taboo

the ineffable name of Jehovah

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ineffability

play \(ˌ)i-ˌne-fə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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ineffableness

play \(ˌ)i-ˈne-fə-bəl-nəs\ noun

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ineffably

play \(ˌ)i-ˈne-fə-blē\ adverb

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Examples of ineffable in a Sentence

an ineffable beauty descends upon the canyon as the sun begins to set

Recent Examples of ineffable from the Web

But for some ineffable reason, there are certain chain stores that contain the warmth, diversity and conversation once associated with Greek diners or soda fountains.

— amy sohn, New York Times, "Quirks and Gossip in a Corporate Cellphone Branch," 6 Apr. 2018
The ineffable is that which cannot or should not be uttered.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Silicon Valley 'Has No Words'," 4 Apr. 2018
Most of all, coal was equated with honest jobs for hard-working miners (and voters)....The shift from coal to diesel and natural gas was framed not as mere consumer choice between commodities, but as an attack on some ineffable American value.

— sara sneath, NOLA.com, "How environmental issues affect local food: This week's coastal news," 2 Feb. 2018
There is an ineffable quality to dissociative cases.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How a Young Woman Lost Her Identity," 26 Mar. 2018
Most of all, coal was equated with honest jobs for hard-working miners (and voters)....The shift from coal to diesel and natural gas was framed not as mere consumer choice between commodities, but as an attack on some ineffable American value.

— sara sneath, NOLA.com, "How environmental issues affect local food: This week's coastal news," 2 Feb. 2018
Most of all, coal was equated with honest jobs for hard-working miners (and voters)....The shift from coal to diesel and natural gas was framed not as mere consumer choice between commodities, but as an attack on some ineffable American value.

— sara sneath, NOLA.com, "How environmental issues affect local food: This week's coastal news," 2 Feb. 2018
The ineffable Gemma Arterton, who won West End acclaim for her role in Dagenham Girls, a dramatization of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists' strike, took two of the original pioneers to the event.

— Vogue, "Film, Fashion, and Fundamental Rights: BAFTA 2018 Highlights from London," 19 Feb. 2018
Most of all, coal was equated with honest jobs for hard-working miners (and voters)....The shift from coal to diesel and natural gas was framed not as mere consumer choice between commodities, but as an attack on some ineffable American value.

— sara sneath, NOLA.com, "How environmental issues affect local food: This week's coastal news," 2 Feb. 2018

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

Breaking Down The Roots of ineffable

Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness, wrote Frederick Douglass in his autobiography. Reading Douglass's words, it's easy to see that ineffable means "indescribable" or "unspeakable." And when we break down the word to its Latin roots, it's easy to see how those meanings came about. "Ineffable" comes from "ineffabilis," which joins the prefix in-, meaning "not," with the adjective effabilis, meaning "capable of being expressed." "Effabilis" comes from "effari" ("to speak out"), which in turn comes from ex- and fari ("to speak").

Origin and Etymology of ineffable

Middle English, from Latin ineffabilis, from in- + effabilis capable of being expressed, from effari to speak out, from ex- + fari to speak — more at ban

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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