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 Too much wanting for something ineffable, something that feels more like absence than body, the negative space around a someone. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026 Nonetheless, Simón stirs up the ineffable sadness that comes with wanting answers to the mysteries of your family — and then, like it or not, receiving them. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 That, for you at least, that ineffable quality that gives a density, a weight. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026 The versatility, the intelligence, the playmaking and that ineffable ability to win — the Frenchman was a basketball romantic’s dream. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 June 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
  • Spot an incredible variety of wildlife, including sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, bald eagles and puffins.
    — Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • What excited us about the Daisy Chain Reaction was the opportunity to give Olivia Rodrigo’s incredible community of fans that extra invitation to take that first step.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • The brain-squeezing rush of those starts is nearly indescribable.
    — Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 15 July 2026
  • Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s totally indescribable HBO series was both a grand evolution of the Tim Robinson experience and a wildly original contribution to what television could be and feel like.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Definition of indescribable
Adjective
  • Mom and mental health advocate Meghan Cliffel wonders why others only seem concerned about the condition in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy.
    — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Traces of fight ing, oppression, destruction and of the unspeakable horrors of genocide overlap and mingle.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ineffable for Spanish Speakers

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