Synonyms of impenetrability

impenetrability

noun

(ˌ)im-ˌpe-nə-trə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

as in mysteriousness

the quality or state of being impossible to know, understand, or explain

the impenetrability of her prose is apparently the basis of her appeal to literary snobs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mysteriousness
• ambiguity
• inscrutability
• uncanniness
• obscurity
• darkness
• profundity
• vagueness
• numinousness
• unintelligibility
• inscrutableness
• murkiness
• incomprehensibility
• equivocality
• deepness
• inexplicability
• shadowiness
• unknowability
• abstruseness
• equivocalness
• esotericism
• unintelligibleness
• hermetism
• unanswerability
• inexplicableness
• abstrusity
• reconditeness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intelligibility
• understandability
• transparency
• clarity
• straightforwardness
• obviousness
• plainness
• self-evidence

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impenetrability

Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

As a result, the impenetrability of EU bureaucracies will continue to limit the United States’ ability to restructure transatlantic economic relations. — Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025

For certain travelers, though, especially those who gravitate toward conflict zones and geopolitical oddities, Turkmenistan’s impenetrability has given it an alluring mystique. — Joe Yogerst, CNN Money, 31 July 2025

Curiously, this rediscovered impenetrability has come with Nick Pope, the undisputed No 1 goalkeeper, injured. — Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025