as in incomprehensible
impossible to understand
advanced scientific theories of ungraspable complexity for the layperson
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Recent Examples of ungraspable
This is an ungraspable tragedy and loss.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungraspable
Adjective
-
Workers who love incomprehensible, corporate-speak language tend to be bad at decision-making.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The incomprehensible war with Iran was the last straw.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The flyby lasted seven hours, during which the astronauts could enjoy views of the lunar surface previously unseen by human eyes, with about 21% of the moon’s mysterious far side illuminated by the sun from the crew’s perspective.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
This April, readers have plenty of new books to look forward to, including a metafictional exploration of memory, a look at the effects of family vlogging and a mysterious depiction of gentrification in Brooklyn.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These Chicago scientists and engineers played a critical role in the Manhattan Project, helping develop the atomic bombs that were used to bring about the unfathomable destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.—
Daniel Holz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The notion of drafting Simpson with the 11th pick is unfathomable.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When will Connecticut wake up and finally understand that their beloved Blumenthal – and his uncanny infatuation with lawsuits and investigations – has single-handedly sabotaged the state’s chances of ever being seriously considered again for a professional sports franchise?—
Matthew Chudoba,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Their uncanny beauty lies in their bold maximalism.—
Megan Paetzhold,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, first-time director Fergus Campbell drops us directly into Cleo’s world — no parents, no rules and every authority figure is obscured, like the unintelligible adults in Peanuts cartoons.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Later audio intel from subsidiary figures is likewise frequently rendered unintelligible by distortion, staticky transmission, etc.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That dominance has created a near-impenetrable moat.—
Scott Nations,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
-
David Benioff wrote 25th Hour (great), Troy (good), and then Stay, this nearly impenetrable psychological thriller that plays out like The Machinist through a David Lynch filter.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Costs of jet fuel are spiraling, along with more esoteric commodities such as helium.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
-
That’s what notation makes possible — the esoteric.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The digital menu is divided into a handful of confusing categories that force you to rely on your previous memory of what’s on offer, not only because finding new options is so difficult, but also because even looking for them is inordinately time-consuming.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Set in New Jersey, the story follows an ethnically and religiously confusing family fronted by hardware store owner Linda (Laurie Metcalf), who decides after the death of her mother to run for mayor of their midsized town.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ungraspable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungraspable. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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