as in mysterious
impossible to understand
advanced scientific theories of ungraspable complexity for the layperson
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Recent Examples of ungraspable
Paul’s attachments are ungraspable, transient, and forever underwritten by raw desire.
—
Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 27 Jan. 2025
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
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
The river itself was a standard-issue metaphor of time’s ungraspable flux and constancy.
—Wells Tower, Outside Online, 11 July 2018
Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 27 Jan. 2025
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
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
The river itself was a standard-issue metaphor of time’s ungraspable flux and constancy.
—Wells Tower, Outside Online, 11 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungraspable
Adjective
-
Some people are already well aware of Norse Atlantic, despite the company’s somewhat mysterious profile.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
She's just been visited by a mysterious mate named Donnie, who claims to be a friend of Harry's.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Researching feels incomprehensible or inapplicable, especially as a business owner.—
Bree Manay,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The answer may not be satisfying, but maybe that’s the point: the crime was always going to be incomprehensible.—
Bailey Seybolt,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Think of it as Bannon on the one side, versus Newt Gingrich, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and others on the other — a debate that once seemed unfathomable for Republicans who have spent generations working to lower taxes and reduce the scope of the federal government.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The overwhelming interest in last week’s classic car review was unfathomable.—
Marc D Grasso,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether Daboll possesses an uncanny ability to identify franchise quarterbacks or just got lucky with Allen, the Dart pick will at least provide an answer.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Born in Odessa, Texas, Kyle grew up hunting with his father and quickly discovered his uncanny aim.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But wait: That angry voice seems to grow louder, if still unintelligible — and is now joined by the murmuring of others.—
John Hanc,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
From our review: Khan’s lack of screen presence, toothless mixed martial arts sequences and unintelligible editing further knock the film down.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Most of those minerals are currently buried beneath thick sheets of previously impenetrable ice.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Image Border The Wall The most memorable promise that Mr. Trump made on the campaign trail was to erect an impenetrable barrier along the entire southern border, which is almost 2,000 miles, and to have Mexico pay for it.—
Miriam Jordan,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Advocating for biological men in women’s locker rooms, while rooted in inclusivity, often feels esoteric to the typical voter.—
Nafees Alam,
Twin Cities,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Fertility data used to be a fairly esoteric concern.—
Noel King,
Vox,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But his recitation of Black Americans’ names also revealed that they were heavily weighted toward athletes and performers like Jackie Robinson and Aretha Franklin (on a list that includes relatively obscure conservative white thinkers such as Whittaker Chambers and Clare Boothe Luce).—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
-
That included obscure cold opens and immersive world-building.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ungraspable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungraspable. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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