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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 Running parallel to this butchery investigation is the arrival of perpetually hungover FBI agent Gwen Birgssen, played by British actress Lily James with an incomprehensible southern drawl and some clunky platitudes that veer into genre parody. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • The masked suspect who fatally shot a beloved barber while trying to steal his handmade Miami Cuban bracelet outside a Queens strip club ran off empty-handed, but left those who knew the victim with an unfathomable hole in their hearts.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • A lot like his unfathomable eternity with the Royals, a job that he somehow was offered as a 25-year-old in 1969 with scant experience.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • Trotting out this try-hard trifecta of confusing, uninspired installments in a year that’s seen so many entertaining, thought-provoking additions to the horror genre?
    — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The ratings follows another tempest-in-a-teapot bit of You Can See Everything news on Thursday when a typo in the film’s official trailer went viral, with fans becoming convinced the confusing-looking error was intentional — until A24 fixed it.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • Phoebe Bridgers, in her first film role, pulls off an uncanny transformation as a decoy who bends lines of age and gender.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • One of Mahomes’ many uncanny traits is that this traction and momentum will only feed off itself.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 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
  • Though Best Original Song can seem impenetrable, as the Music Branch that determines the shortlist and nominees for the category has its own insular politics, Swift has inched her way closer to a nomination with every song she’s written for a film.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of impenetrable
Adjective
  • In simpler terms, his company produces the plumbing for the plumbing, the obscure pieces of the data center.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The film, while centering Iran’s current political and social crises, also brings to light obscure aspects, moments, and corners of Iranian history, public and private, which Bakhshi and Najdi discuss in great detail.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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