incomprehensible

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl How to pronounce incomprehensible (audio)
Definition of incomprehensiblenext
as in unintelligible
impossible to understand rocket science is incomprehensible to most people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 incomprehensible By that point, almost five minutes down on yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar, the Tour may already have been done — save for an incomprehensible effort over Alpe d’Huez, or misfortune to Pogacar himself. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 July 2026 But when asked to convey human-woman concerns, like a shitty dad, a shitty husband, and a shitty mother-in-law, that intense gaze can become inscrutable, even incomprehensible — a closed door to her interiority instead of a way in. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026 There have been times when acts of atrocity have been going on — and gosh, some of those things are incomprehensible — yet humanity has found a way. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 Being joyful there — in the Dominican Republic, where small shacks and houses pieced together by junkyard scraps sometimes hold families with over a dozen members — seems incomprehensible. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for incomprehensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incomprehensible
  1. unintelligible
  2. mysterious
  3. unfathomable
  4. confusing
  5. uncanny
  6. esoteric
  7. impenetrable
  8. obscure
Adjective
  • Incomplete, corrupted, untimely, or unintelligible Submissions or Submission Forms will be disqualified.
    — August 16, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
  • When the surveillance footage resumes about an hour later, a man can be heard shouting, but the words are unintelligible, and a vehicle horn sounds.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unintelligible
Adjective
  • Add the mysterious departure of the younger Belichick and that only adds more to Craig’s plate.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Elizabeth, less inclined to anatomize herself in writing, remains the more mysterious force.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of mysterious
Adjective
  • On behalf of myself, our staff, and the Board of Directors, we are entirely devastated by this unfathomable loss to Country Music and the entire world.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Building a racetrack in the middle of a city comes with an unfathomable number of logistical challenges.
    — Adam Kilgore, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a hodgepodge of financial advice and confusing diagrams held together by anecdotes from Kiyosaki’s childhood.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Disability rights advocates fear the changes to special education oversight weaken the federal safety net for autistic students and others with disabilities, making these systems more confusing when families need help enforcing students’ rights.
    — Claire Sibonney, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • These particles efficiently scatter the blue and green light while letting red and orange wavelengths pass through, creating the uncanny feeling of an all-day sunset.
    — Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The skyline floated like an uncanny but beautiful projection off to our side.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • Baseball is a sport that thrives on statistics, no matter how esoteric, but there appears to be no record of a professional baseball player previously wearing a mechanical watch during a game.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The rereleased games are fascinatingly esoteric, too, including the GBC versions of Croc, Croc 2, Earthworm Jim, and the Japan-only GB shmup, Chikyu Kaiho Gun Zas.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of esoteric
Adjective
  • Child safety experts lauded the settlement and the accompanying pressure campaign as a giant leap forward in the effort to regulate an industry that until this year appeared all but impenetrable to reform, either from the courts or legislatures.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The space offers guests a rare glimpse into a facet of Japanese nightlife that can feel impenetrable to outsiders.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • The Supreme x Nike Air Max 2001 Air Max Air Ecstasy revives an obscure sneaker previously known as the Air Max 2000.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But DuSable Park has gone by its name longer than many of those landmarks, and is more obscure than any of them.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure

Browse Nearby Words

incomprehensibility
incomprehensible
incomprehensibleness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incomprehensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incomprehensible. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All