1
as in incorporeal
not capable of being perceived by the sense of touch
the rich colors used in the wall coverings and furniture give the room an impalpable warmth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in invisible
not perceptible by a sense or by the mind
any difference between the two sound systems is impalpable to all but the most discerning audiophiles
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Recent Examples of impalpable
The principle consists in mixing, with the sewage, quantities of lime and clay, combining with the carbonic acid of the fecal matters to form carbonate of lime, in an impalpable powder.
—
Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 15 June 2022
This is the primordial key point, the impalpable idea that will finally turn out to be the engine of your business.
—Xavier Preterit, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
And so, with 24 regular-season games remaining for the Utah Jazz after the All-Star break, hard-and-fast conclusions about this team remain frustratingly elusive and impalpable.
—Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Feb. 2022
But there’s an argument to be made that the colorless, soundless, impalpable structures of symbols and relationships of science are far more revealing.
—Kc Cole, Wired, 22 Dec. 2021
Afterward, as in Vienna, property relations were forever altered, which had an impalpable but unmistakable effect on attitudes.
—New York Times, 29 June 2021
The full album as well features similar, almost impalpable, differences.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2021
In these distant and impalpable moments, I am touched.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2021
Appearing in all four games this season, Grossman has displayed an impalpable ability for generating first downs on crucial drives for UAB this season.
—Evan Dudley, al, 5 Oct. 2019
Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 15 June 2022
This is the primordial key point, the impalpable idea that will finally turn out to be the engine of your business.
—Xavier Preterit, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
And so, with 24 regular-season games remaining for the Utah Jazz after the All-Star break, hard-and-fast conclusions about this team remain frustratingly elusive and impalpable.
—Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Feb. 2022
But there’s an argument to be made that the colorless, soundless, impalpable structures of symbols and relationships of science are far more revealing.
—Kc Cole, Wired, 22 Dec. 2021
Afterward, as in Vienna, property relations were forever altered, which had an impalpable but unmistakable effect on attitudes.
—New York Times, 29 June 2021
The full album as well features similar, almost impalpable, differences.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2021
In these distant and impalpable moments, I am touched.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2021
Appearing in all four games this season, Grossman has displayed an impalpable ability for generating first downs on crucial drives for UAB this season.
—Evan Dudley, al, 5 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impalpable
Adjective
-
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
-
Indeed, in stark contrast to the incorporeal nature of a digital image, each of Winant’s photographs is, in a sense, a discrete body: a fallible material entity that boasts a hidden physical history and that will compositionally deteriorate over time.—
Jessica Simmons-Reid,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
Not only the literal stages of places like the Gaiety or the Apollo Sauna, but the invisible stage that forms when strangers agree to inhabit the same risk and the same desire.—
Alessia Glaviano,
Vogue,
20 Oct. 2025
-
An annoying, biker beast blasted out of my bowels onto the page and became the not-so-invisible embodiment of my disease.—
David Soren,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One circuit and the Federal Circuit took the position that Crocs described as a more expansive view to include actions over intangible attributes such as patents, which address the source of ideas for a particular invention.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
-
That outcome could delay or reduce any recovery, allow Jones to keep control of the platform that spread the false claims at issue, and expose limits in how bankruptcy law can deliver accountability when a business’s value is intangible and closely tied to its founder.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Caplan-Auerbach is studying nearly imperceptible seismic tremors that have preceded major landslides, including the August one in Tracy Arm.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
-
For most folks watching at home, the change was imperceptible.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Featuring a subtle kick flare at the hem and chic pintuck detailing, they’re designed to hit right under the calf, or just at the ankle for petite people like myself.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Adding parsnips and turnips to the recipe gives the dish a subtle earthy flavor that perfectly complements the savory chicken.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impalpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impalpable. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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