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
-
The majesty of the natural world and the incomprehensible vastness of space are almost infinitely rearrangeable variables for documentarians.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Arthur is a creepy dude, a generic-looking cellphone store employee with an incomprehensible plan.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Circumstances vary case by case The string of mysterious deaths and disappearances began in 2023, lawmakers say, with the death of Michael David Hicks, a scientist who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nearly 25 years.—
Natasha Chen,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Created by Graham Yost based on Hugh Howey’s New York Times bestselling trilogy , Season 3 continues the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground under mysterious circumstances, while revealing an origin story set centuries earlier.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The top leagues are where the biggest clubs play – think Manchester United and Bayern Munich – with rosters of global superstars who are paid unfathomable wages.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In recent years, extreme weather events have caused unfathomable economic damage, and those costs are passed on to homeowners, renters, and small businesses through higher rates for insurance.—
Scott Wiener,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jaafar Jackson does bear an uncanny resemblance to his late uncle, and clearly knows how to replicate his signature moves, his physical fluidity, his beaming smile reserved for fans, animals, and hospital residents.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Juxtaposed to Colman Domingo’s blustering portrayal of Joe Jackson and Jaafar Jackson’s uncanny performance as his late uncle Michael, Long has found a way to make silence load-bearing.—
Zeba Blay,
SELF,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In it, a local TV meteorologist played by Emily Blunt goes mute mid-broadcast and comes out instead with a series of unintelligible noises that rivet viewers.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
This was one of the city's most impenetrable buildings, surrounded by armed guards, made to look uninviting and unappealing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Clearly, Villeneuve knows how to turn an impenetrable and famously difficult literary material into something truly cinematic and sweeping.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While Callaghan successfully transitioned to the more traditional newscast-style Channel 5, the loss of AGNB’s esoteric style and specific storytelling seemed to gnaw at him.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
-
As the April 15 deadline for filing federal taxes approaches, many will stress over the complexities of filling out tax forms and locating seemingly esoteric documents.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The layout of the hotel is a little confusing because of a lack of signposts and labels.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This delightfully confusing creation from Slovenian designer Lara Bohinc features a shiny aluminum chair physically held within the arms of a reclining mahogany copy of the chair below.—
Francesca Perry,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ungraspable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungraspable. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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