as in mysterious
impossible to understand
advanced scientific theories of ungraspable complexity for the layperson
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Recent Examples of ungraspable
Its scope is gargantuan and ungraspable, and as such, the appropriate level of grief does not seem human in scale.
—
Literary Hub, 21 July 2025
Paul’s attachments are ungraspable, transient, and forever underwritten by raw desire.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 27 Jan. 2025
One gazes into the geographical expanse of this place to try to grasp the ungraspable scale of things.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 5 Jan. 2023
It’s a megagenre, something the poet-philosopher Timothy Morton might call a hyperobject, ungraspable in its ubiquity and scale.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2022
The scope of something inexpressible, a mammoth, ungraspable intimation, had overtaken him.
—Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
The ecological relationships that Darwin brings to our attention tell us of a world of bonds much more complex and ungraspable than had ever previously been supposed.
—Longreads, 23 Mar. 2021
The Internet of Things is an ungraspable future, particularly when the fact of a future for Earth at all sometimes sounds implausible.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 14 May 2020
Eraserhead was so ungraspable, so far into left field, that most critics dismissed it at the time.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Literary Hub, 21 July 2025
Paul’s attachments are ungraspable, transient, and forever underwritten by raw desire.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 27 Jan. 2025
One gazes into the geographical expanse of this place to try to grasp the ungraspable scale of things.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 5 Jan. 2023
It’s a megagenre, something the poet-philosopher Timothy Morton might call a hyperobject, ungraspable in its ubiquity and scale.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2022
The scope of something inexpressible, a mammoth, ungraspable intimation, had overtaken him.
—Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021
The ecological relationships that Darwin brings to our attention tell us of a world of bonds much more complex and ungraspable than had ever previously been supposed.
—Longreads, 23 Mar. 2021
The Internet of Things is an ungraspable future, particularly when the fact of a future for Earth at all sometimes sounds implausible.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 14 May 2020
Eraserhead was so ungraspable, so far into left field, that most critics dismissed it at the time.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungraspable
Adjective
-
Set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean at the height of summer, the erotic thriller follows Calvin Wells (Funk), a charismatic conman who sets his sights on Katrine Winters (Meadow Williams), a mysterious billionaire widow.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
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For an event celebrating a dark and mysterious being, the vibe is surprisingly uplifting.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And the thought of McDavid leaving Edmonton under any condition once felt incomprehensible.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
His way through was by finding connection with a character whose deeds seem incomprehensible.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That's unfathomable, that's unacceptable, that's unconscionable, and that's un-American.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The idea of the Tigers making a deep October run would be unprecedented but not unfathomable.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Since signing to Matador, the band has sharpened its sound into a quirky, exhilarated alt-pop, too uncanny to be dance-punk and too lively to be slacker rock.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, audio quality can make or break social media content and while some people can tolerate less-than-perfect video, poor and unintelligible sound often has audiences swiping left.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Airports and airplanes do not have a monopoly on unintelligible announcements.—
Michel A. Ibrahim,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
By emphasizing the caper aspect and the goofy comedy of all this over the intricate plotting that is a hallmark of Westlake’s novels, Black lowers the stakes of a heist that involves halting a speeding NY subway refuse train and busting into a supposedly impenetrable Brooklyn vault.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Others – seemingly those who are non-religious or simply impenetrable by internet theories – quipped at the possibility.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The basic logic of the drink is, as mentioned, Negroni-like, but more esoteric on a number of fronts.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
-
But this seems to me to be a far more likely possibility than Jesus making legendary journeys to India, Egypt, or even Britain, so popular in esoteric lore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Most intriguing is how these groups will be submitted among the rock, metal and alternative categories, distinctions that only get more confusing as time marches on.—
Alan Light,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Annie and Nick Annie and Nick's path to getting engaged was winding and confusing.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungraspable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungraspable. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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