as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
advanced scientific theories of ungraspable complexity for the layperson
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Recent Examples of ungraspable
To me, the self becomes a shifting monument, a territoire in perpetual metamorphosis, alive, fluid, and ungraspable.
—
Mame-Diarra Niang, Artforum, 2 Nov. 2025
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
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
Mame-Diarra Niang, Artforum, 2 Nov. 2025
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
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
-
By dismissing shooters as incomprehensible villains, Peterson says, families and communities may miss warning signs in the young people around them.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The crime thriller featured Benicio Del Toro’s breakout role as the incomprehensible low-level criminal Fred Fenster.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Remote and mysterious, Rapa Nui continues to awe visitors who wonder how its earliest navigators found this isolated corner of the Pacific.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
-
This is the most mysterious part of this for now.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But with trillion-dollar valuations, AI developments outpacing regulators, and products that control the future flow of information, that reality isn’t all that unfathomable.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The brightest spots are painted by Peter Diamandis, a technology zealot who makes the case for AI infusing humanity with once-unfathomable superpowers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This uncanny quality is most apparent in the treatment of Rubio’s vocals.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The central role of Nanno – an enigmatic transfer student whose uncanny insight into the moral failings of those around her drives each episode’s reckoning – is taken by 20-year-old Nakajima Arisa in her screen debut.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite being grouped together under the Miao umbrella, the four groups have little in common today, and their languages are different enough as to be unintelligible between groups.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Transcribers often complained that the wax recordings were unintelligible—dictators needed to speak directly into the speaking tube, loudly, clearly, and at an appropriate pace, but many did not.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The chain of events triggered by the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas shattered the image of Iran as an impenetrable and defiant regional power.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Young people are currently shut out of wealth concentration and face a nearly impenetrable housing market, heavily evidenced by the fact that the average age of a first-time homebuyer has now hit 40 years old.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There were also stories about Reinsdorf not being amused by the wise-cracking or esoteric commentary by Benetti during play-by-play, as if baseball were a deadly serious sport that should be treated with more dignity.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Venus’ connection to Uranus supports your interest or involvement in an esoteric or exotic community.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Things got even more confusing when make-up artist Alexis Stone posted a picture of a prosthetic on Instagram alongside photos of Carrey at the awards show.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Mar. 2026
-
For people who deal with a parent with addiction issues, that can be really confusing and painful.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ungraspable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungraspable. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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