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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

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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 Of all the awful plays the Carolina defense made Sunday in a 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears, two of the most incomprehensible came from one of their best and smartest players. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2026 The first two interceptions weren’t great, but the third one was truly incomprehensible. — Chad Graff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Here, relatives try to comprehend the incomprehensible — how around 120 of their children could be snuffed out, just after they’d been dropped off for a day of classes. — Amir Vahdat, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 The second-chance Hail Mary led to the incomprehensible scene of the Michigan Stadium crowd storming the field to cheer the winningest program in Bowl Subdivision history eking out a victory over a Mid-American Conference school. — CBS News, 7 Sep. 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
  • Then Mikayla makes an almost unintelligible crack about Doug, which sends Taylor back into a rage spiral.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Assuming viewers understood the history of English soccer — or even the offside rule — could make the broadcasts unintelligible for new fans who understood neither.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unintelligible
Adjective
  • Afterward, guests made their way up to Shishi, tucked away on the third floor with a mysterious entrance.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a guy who wound up dying under mysterious circumstances that makes up part of him.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of mysterious
Adjective
  • Hasan deftly handles political seriousness and an unfathomable history and present of war and punitive state violence against Palestinians.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Dolphins fandom has been a miserable existence for more than a quarter century now, and for reasons that extend well beyond the unfathomable 25-year playoff victory drought in a league that prioritizes parity.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • Here, those extra voices vastly outnumber the two main characters, leading to a profusion of confusing subplots that stray away from the main themes.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Vaccines increasingly feel like a high-stakes decision – but with increasingly confusing and contradictory public health information.
    — Jennifer Reich, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • Their resemblance is uncanny; near carbon copies, some thirty years apart.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Images often associated with barbarism on screen, like beheading the dead to memorialize them, are approached with an uncanny gentleness.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • Their job is to reduce the world to a series of numbers that can be punched into increasingly complex statistical equations and published in esoteric journals with high barriers to entry and minuscule readerships.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Another challenge is that though the Langlands program is sweeping and unifying, the mathematical correspondences themselves are excruciatingly specific and esoteric.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of esoteric
Adjective
  • Director Padraic McKinley’s debut feature stars Ethan Hawke as a battle-scarred veteran hired to smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • For most of our history as a country, and certainly in the post-World War II nuclear era, our borders felt impenetrable.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • This includes sourcing suppliers for obscure or discontinued parts.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The Venezuelan government granted an obscure private oil company, North American Blue Energy Partners, concessions to develop those reserves.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscure

Browse Nearby Words

incomprehensibility
incomprehensible
incomprehensibleness
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Cite this Entry

“Incomprehensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incomprehensible. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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