1
as in mysteriousness
the quality or state of being impossible to know, understand, or explain
the inscrutability of divine intentions is something that people of faith usually just accept
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2
as in ambiguity
the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning
the inscrutability of the notations in the ledger—who, for example, was the recipient of "gift to X" ?
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Recent Examples of inscrutability
In the same way that audiences are trying to unpack the central scheme — or interlocking set of schemes — at the center of Paula’s newfound predicament, so was the Emmy-winning Maslany drawn to the inscrutability of her character.
—
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 24 May 2026
What these critics don’t reckon with enough is that inscrutability is also a feature of the world.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
And that requires the opposite of inscrutability.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
His work marries a depth of thought with inscrutability, and for over 15 years, this has resulted in rap music that is ambitious and vulnerable while Staples comes off as ambivalent about it in interviews.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Whether or not Alice lived happily ever after, Gertrude seems to have done so, at least once her devils were banished by inscrutability.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Théodore Pellerin is a force of abstract inscrutability as Matthew, a character whose true motivations are always kept just out of frame.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 24 May 2026
What these critics don’t reckon with enough is that inscrutability is also a feature of the world.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
And that requires the opposite of inscrutability.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
His work marries a depth of thought with inscrutability, and for over 15 years, this has resulted in rap music that is ambitious and vulnerable while Staples comes off as ambivalent about it in interviews.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Whether or not Alice lived happily ever after, Gertrude seems to have done so, at least once her devils were banished by inscrutability.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Théodore Pellerin is a force of abstract inscrutability as Matthew, a character whose true motivations are always kept just out of frame.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutability
Noun
-
That intrigue and mysteriousness still rest in the canyon walls today.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Along with a looser framing, shadow and contrast highlight loneliness and emotional ambiguity.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
American society—grotesquely unequal and divided, helpless before its demagogic and oligarchic manipulators—is no longer a stranger to the dark ambiguities of lopsided economic progress.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
What The Dark Wizard does differently is grapple with Potter’s impenetrability without being able to resolve it, and consider how that indecision might change our perceptions of his life and his May 2015 death while BASE jumping in Yosemite.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutability. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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