1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of inscrutable
True, this would turn programs into inscrutable black boxes, but they could still be divided into modular testable units for sanity and quality checks.
—
Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
And this one cast an even lower, closer shadow — rendering her expressions even more inscrutable — than any before it.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
That night, at Shakespeare’s, the future was just as inscrutable for us all.
—Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez, The Dial, 16 Sep. 2025
The same words apply to the title character at the film‘s center, the inscrutable and seemingly unscrupulous Hedda Gabler (a magnetic Tessa Thompson), here yanked firmly from the late 20th century setting of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play into the ’50s, and not missing a single trick along the way.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
And this one cast an even lower, closer shadow — rendering her expressions even more inscrutable — than any before it.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
That night, at Shakespeare’s, the future was just as inscrutable for us all.
—Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez, The Dial, 16 Sep. 2025
The same words apply to the title character at the film‘s center, the inscrutable and seemingly unscrupulous Hedda Gabler (a magnetic Tessa Thompson), here yanked firmly from the late 20th century setting of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play into the ’50s, and not missing a single trick along the way.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
-
Set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean at the height of summer, the erotic thriller follows Calvin Wells (Funk), a charismatic conman who sets his sights on Katrine Winters (Meadow Williams), a mysterious billionaire widow.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
-
For an event celebrating a dark and mysterious being, the vibe is surprisingly uplifting.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Life is mysterious and ambiguous, and so the film to us, is a beautiful representation of that type of experience that is just not captured very often in movies.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
-
For over a century, the United States has coercively maintained the base against the wishes of the Cuban government, an arrangement prompting political and legal debates surrounding the territory’s ambiguous sovereignty.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The cryptic video came after one of the ugliest stretches yet in Cardi and Minaj’s decade-long feud.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
This cryptic species, first described in 2001, was among several mammals recorded by trail cameras set up by researchers.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This obscure rule bars federal funding for mental institutions with more than 16 beds, which critics say is a major barrier to expanding capacity.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
-
But what these murky recommendations largely obscure is the data, which overwhelmingly supports the use of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, as evidenced by a massive analysis set to be presented this weekend at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This brings a strange boy (Jade Croot) to their doorstep who draws them into an enigmatic realm where the line between reality and myth begins to blur.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
-
In writer-director Christian Ditter’s glossy take on the fantastical story about the preciousness of time, an enigmatic red-haired girl named Momo (Alexa Goodall) lives inside the amphitheater of an unnamed European city (perhaps closest in look to Rome).—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Since signing to Matador, the band has sharpened its sound into a quirky, exhilarated alt-pop, too uncanny to be dance-punk and too lively to be slacker rock.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Smithsonian Institution, which includes all the Smithsonian museums, plans to go dark after Saturday if the government shutdown continues beyond then, according to its website.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Polselli brings a painterly gaze to scenes of quiet dread, such as a figure gradually appearing out of thick brush as two women make their way home through dark woods.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Despite some promising high-concept notions such as an intergalactic federation, mystic beings, parasitic species, a sentient interstellar craft, and Slipstream FTL quantum mechanics, seemingly inevitable creative differences arose as the show progressed.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In Completedworks’ spring 2026 presentation, the Texan actor and model took the stage as Miss Edie Grey, a television clairvoyant and mystic extraordinaire that can trace the history of objects with her magical touch.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share