ineffable

adjective

in·​ef·​fa·​ble (ˌ)i-ˈne-fə-bəl How to pronounce ineffable (audio)
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
ineffability noun
ineffableness noun
ineffably adverb

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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 clear that ineffable means "indescribable" or "unspeakable." And when we break the word down to its Latin roots, we see how those meanings came about. Ineffable comes from ineffābilis, which joins the prefix in-, meaning "not," with the adjective effābilis, meaning "capable of being expressed." Effābilis comes from effārī, "to speak out," which in turn comes from ex- and fārī, meaning “to speak.”

Examples of ineffable in a Sentence

an ineffable beauty descends upon the canyon as the sun begins to set
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.
Something ineffable in posture or spirit gave them away. Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 If Liu is a conduit, so too, in some ineffable sense, is Costanzo. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024 Read: The rise of anti-liberalism Annihilation is another conversion novel, this time about a secular Frenchman’s awakening to that same ineffable cosmos. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024 In Bradley’s work, cosmetic spoons or spatulas exist primarily for hygiene reasons, but also lend an ineffable sense of… something. Brennan Kilbane, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ineffable 

Word History

Etymology

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 entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ineffable was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near ineffable

Cite this Entry

“Ineffable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ineffable. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

ineffable

adjective
in·​ef·​fa·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈef-ə-bəl How to pronounce ineffable (audio)
: impossible to express : inexpressible
ineffable joy
ineffability noun
ineffably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ineffable

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