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
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
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
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One cultural role of child stars, after all, is to embody for their moment the ambiguities of approaching adolescence.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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There was less ambiguity in Minnesota; Rodgers was signed with the clear intention to start.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As a result, the impenetrability of EU bureaucracies will continue to limit the United States’ ability to restructure transatlantic economic relations.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
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This may be Riley’s attempt to portray the insularity and impenetrability of Ruth’s community, a faith so particular that even the reader is denied access to it.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutability. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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