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
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
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
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That intrigue and mysteriousness still rest in the canyon walls today.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With City Hall’s future and Mavericks arena site still undecided, ambiguity about the new convention center’s exact location and construction timeline also casts uncertainty about whether Memorial Auditorium will be ready by the May start of the 2027 season.—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Entrepreneurship rewards tolerance for ambiguity and acting without certainty.—
Essence,
Essence,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutability. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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