Definition of inscrutable
: not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious an inscrutable smile inscrutable motives
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Examples of inscrutable in a Sentence
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
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
an inscrutable work of art
He was a quiet, inscrutable man.
Recent Examples of inscrutable from the Web
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Margaret knows, as Michael Corleone does, that gaining dominance means speaking softly and remaining inscrutable.
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None, however, possesses the crucial third element of Bartolo Colón, which is an inscrutable Zen equanimity.
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Louise once wrote in a preface to a book, and the aliens’ language is both inscrutable at first and seductive in appearance.
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Trump’s position, meanwhile, has veered from vaguely pro, to staunchly opposed, to downright inscrutable.
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At the time, China, for most Americans, was a wondrous abstraction, an inscrutable assemblage of future Christians, consumers, or citizens, depending on your game.
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But this year, either by coincidence or by through the inscrutable workings of the spirit of the times, the story is being retold not once, but twice, both times with impressive clarity and seriousness.
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The Internet is a vast, horrible behemoth, whose inscrutable inner workings are unknowable to either God or man.
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Mythologized, demonized, celebrated: Every shade, from carrot to scarlet, conveys an inscrutable allure.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inscrutable'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
You may have to scrutinize this word closely in order to speculate as to its origins, but there is at least one clue in this sentence. Inscrutable derives from the Late Latin adjective inscrutabilis, which can be traced back to the verb scrutari, meaning "to search or to examine." "Scrutari" is also the source of the English words "scrutinize" and "scrutiny." Incidentally, the antonym "scrutable" ("capable of being deciphered or understood") is a part of our language as well, though it's less common than "inscrutable."
Origin and Etymology of inscrutable
Middle English, from Late Latin inscrutabilis, from Latin in- + scrutari to search — more at scrutiny
INSCRUTABLE Defined for English Language Learners
inscrutable
playDefinition of inscrutable for English Language Learners
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: difficult to understand : causing people to feel curious or confused
Learn More about inscrutable
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See words that rhyme with inscrutable Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inscrutable Spanish Central: Translation of inscrutable Nglish: Translation of inscrutable for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inscrutable for Arabic speakers
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