1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inscrutable
The story’s inscrutable moments even take on a sort of beauty.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Hailee Steinfeld leads the ensemble cast as Anna, whose motives become more inscrutable as the story unfolds.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film’s Cannes reception was a bit inscrutable, but Lawrence playing a young mother battling psychosis is a tempting bit of awards bait.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Putin, by all accounts, runs an inscrutable if strongman geopolitical playbook.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Hailee Steinfeld leads the ensemble cast as Anna, whose motives become more inscrutable as the story unfolds.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film’s Cannes reception was a bit inscrutable, but Lawrence playing a young mother battling psychosis is a tempting bit of awards bait.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Putin, by all accounts, runs an inscrutable if strongman geopolitical playbook.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
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Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks, the movie tells the story of a couple, played by American actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco, who move to the countryside to save their relationship and encounter a mysterious force that draws them closer.—
Peter Guo,
NBC news,
25 Sep. 2025
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As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander's iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Total repatriations When examining total repatriations — people returned to their country of origin — a more ambiguous picture emerges.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
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Whereas many tech deals are conducted in equity of ambiguous value, this one was done in cold, hard cash, though the product itself is by no means a sure bet.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While filming season 3 of Special Forces, Bachelorette alum Trista Sutter's husband, Ryan Sutter, shared a cryptic Instagram post about her being gone, which sparked speculation about their relationship status.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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At some point, though, meaning that is sufficiently cryptic becomes indistinguishable from no meaning at all.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The agency said the company relied on confusing interfaces and obscure disclosures.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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But overall, the popularity of different computer languages could become as obscure a topic as the relative popularity of railway track gauges.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Chalmers research group has now provided a detailed account of a previously enigmatic phase of formamidinium lead iodide.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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For a planet already famous for its beauty and mysteries, Saturn just became even more enigmatic.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Joanna Gaines has an uncanny ability to make anything beautiful.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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Contortionism has been a fundamental cultural expression in Mongolia since the 12th century, and in this work Khuyagaa intertwines a celebration of this heritage with her interest in the female body, beauty, and the uncanny.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Princess Amalia took on royal power suiting in a pink ensemble with wide-leg trousers and a matching blazer with dark buttons.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
23 Sep. 2025
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Eight Unbearable Days Ray, Ben, Michael, Michelle’s brother, and Ben’s dad drove up I-70 to Vail, checking into a hotel just after dark as the first hasty teams from VMRG were heading up the mountain.—
Ted Katauskas,
Outside,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In Completedworks’ spring 2026 presentation, the Texan actor and model took the stage as Miss Edie Grey, a television clairvoyant and mystic extraordinaire that can trace the history of objects with her magical touch.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
20 Sep. 2025
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Yet Blanc’s real faith lies in the nearly mystic quality involved in seeing what the human animal is capable of.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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