ineffable

adjective

(ˌ)i-ˈne-fə-bəl How to pronounce ineffable (audio)
Definition of ineffablenext
as in incredible
beyond the power to describe an ineffable beauty descends upon the canyon as the sun begins to set

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 ineffable Inspired by ineffable nature Dillard’s virtuosic, visionary style isn’t for everyone. — Amy Cannon, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 Gus Birney, Shulman’s real-life daughter, brings an ineffable lightness to Sarah Nell, the joyfulness and sweetness of the portrayal all the more wondrous before of all the darkness that surrounds it. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026 The idea that the gooey mass inside the skull contains some ineffable, nonprogrammable essence—consciousness, spirit, or something else—may be intuitively appealing. — Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 This Dansk Kobenstyle enameled casserole dish with its geometric handles and subtle curves manages to be both stylish and understated in that ineffable Scandinavian way. — Clara Hillis, Architectural Digest, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ineffable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffable
  1. incredible
  2. indescribable
  3. unspeakable
  4. inexpressible
  5. indefinable
  6. unutterable
  7. incommunicable
Adjective
  • The quick thinking to observe, to then park and follow someone into the school is incredible and undoubtedly saved people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There's an incredible amount to explore between northern lights hunting sessions.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • Playing college football has made an indescribable impact on my life.
    — The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her life and legacy of joy and creativity had an indescribable impact on the world.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of indescribable
Adjective
  • Pamela Voorhees’s appeal was always as an unlikely killer, a devoted mother driven to unspeakable violence by a personal tragedy.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable and that at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of unspeakable
Adjective
  • The universe of the film, as all of Nolan’s worlds are, is one drawn from the muted colors of reluctant determination and it’s structured by a gravity of inexpressible guilt.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • Much like the famed British poets of World War I, who sought to express the inexpressible, Abu Toha strives to capture the unspeakable carnage, futility, and despair of war.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of inexpressible
Adjective
  • Our movie tastes are determined by some indefinable electrical current of enthusiasm or joy or deep, radiating sadness, or some combination of the three.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Of course, beauty is subject to taste and culture and all sorts of indefinable things.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of indefinable
Adjective
  • An idle scroll through any social media feed will reveal violent language against Jewish people that was considered widely unutterable a few years ago.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 1 May 2026
  • Stripped of orchestral arrangement, the emotion in Ross’s voice provokes that unutterable connection that makes singer and listener one in a desire to act in the present for the present.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Dec. 2025
Definition of unutterable
Adjective
  • But because some crucial part of artistic expression is always slipping toward the incommunicable, the most powerful art is sometimes less a dialogue than a soliloquy.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
  • Margaret would whisper in the dark and laugh quietly, entertained by her own incommunicable thoughts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of incommunicable

Browse Nearby Words

inedible
ineffable
ineffaceable
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Cite this Entry

“Ineffable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffable. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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