inscrutable
adjective
in·scru·ta·ble
in-ˈskrü-tə-bəl 
: not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious
an inscrutable smile
inscrutable motives
Did you know?
Scrutinizing the inscrutable may be futile: even close scrutiny can fail to decipher it. Scrutinizing the scrutable, on the other hand, is likely to yield some understanding. All of these scrut- words have the same Latin root: scrutari, meaning “to search or examine.” While scrutiny, scrutinize, and inscrutable all prove themselves useful in everyday discourse, English speakers don’t tend to call much on scrutable, which functions as a synonym of comprehensible.
Examples of inscrutable in a Sentence
Supersymmetry is a magic mirror, and everything in what we imagine to be the real world has its ghostly, inscrutable mirror image.
—
Ian Stewart, Prospect, September 2003
Of all the myths that have grown up around Alan Greenspan, the most powerful is the idea that he's willfully inscrutable.
—James Surowiecki, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2001
That wily politicians might adopt Franklin's distinction between appearance and reality to become inscrutable confidence men did not seem to trouble him.
—John H. Summers, Journal of American History, December 2000
an inscrutable work of art
He was a quiet, inscrutable man.
Ian Stewart, Prospect, September 2003
Of all the myths that have grown up around Alan Greenspan, the most powerful is the idea that he's willfully inscrutable.
—James Surowiecki, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2001
That wily politicians might adopt Franklin's distinction between appearance and reality to become inscrutable confidence men did not seem to trouble him.
—John H. Summers, Journal of American History, December 2000
an inscrutable work of art
He was a quiet, inscrutable man.
Recent Examples on the Web
The British pop quintet Idles is the band of this moment — a moment defined by an inscrutable youth culture protesting in support of abhorrent political positions or embracing styles of self-abusive depravity.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025
From the outside, Didion seemed to be to be inscrutable, glamorous, insanely gifted and invulnerable.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Jackson-Cohen, Keene, and Hyland look glamorous in their ’30s period outfits as director Sam Yates zooms in on their inscrutable faces.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Destiny, as implied by the title When Fall Is Coming, answers inscrutable day-to-day issues and behavior that too often are treated politically.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
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Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025
From the outside, Didion seemed to be to be inscrutable, glamorous, insanely gifted and invulnerable.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Jackson-Cohen, Keene, and Hyland look glamorous in their ’30s period outfits as director Sam Yates zooms in on their inscrutable faces.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
Destiny, as implied by the title When Fall Is Coming, answers inscrutable day-to-day issues and behavior that too often are treated politically.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inscrutable. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inscrutable
adjective
in·scru·ta·ble
in-ˈskrüt-ə-bəl
: not easily understood : mysterious
an inscrutable expression
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