unknowable

adjective

Definition of unknowablenext
as in ambiguous
not able to be known No matter how far science advances, some things about the world will always remain unknown and unknowable. If passed, this law will have unknowable consequences.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unknowable As Nora’s speech and Catherine’s kind moments suggest, characters’ actions don’t consistently reflect their overall moral stance, which is often based on misunderstandings and falsehoods, its validity unknowable even to them. — Judy Berman, Time, 27 July 2026 Messi spent two decades becoming famous while remaining almost unknowable. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Ginsburg misjudged an unknowable future; Biden failed to respond to a visible present. — Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 19 July 2026 Yet several of the heroes feel unknowable and interchangeable, which keeps the audience at an emotional distance even as Nolan employs so many cinematic techniques in an effort to pull us closer. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unknowable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknowable
  1. ambiguous
  2. mysterious
  3. enigmatic
  4. obscure
  5. uncertain
  6. murky
  7. unclear
Adjective
  • Prospective tenants are not allowed to tour the place before renting, and residents have long reported dicey roommate situations and ambiguous policies surrounding tenant rights and eviction.
    — Diamy Wang August 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The fate of Duke, diagnosed with a life-threatening ascending aortic aneurysm, is ambiguous.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambiguous
Adjective
  • Although the bars are not related, all three arrived on the scene under purposefully mysterious circumstances.
    — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Dodson update One of the mysterious developments Thursday was linebacker Dodson leaving the field after individual drills.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mysterious
Adjective
  • Joe is mostly effective as an enigmatic protagonist bordering on an unreliable narrator.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Her conversation consisted primarily of declarations, some more enigmatic than others.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of enigmatic
Adjective
  • In this series, Christopher Goffard revisits old crimes in Los Angeles and beyond, from the famous to the forgotten, the consequential to the obscure, diving into archives and the memories of those who were there.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sure, there are way too many people asking for drawings of obscure anime characters that are nearly impossible to pull off with the bare-bones MS-Paint-like tool in two-and-a-half minutes.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure
Adjective
  • Why people are uncertain about vaccines Vaccine hesitancy is much more complicated than outright opposition to vaccines, Steier said.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Traditional business moats are eroding, exemplified by Chegg's collapse, as the market prices certainty into an inherently uncertain technology, causing unprecedented volatility and layoffs.
    — Jemma Green, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertain
Adjective
  • The presence of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, deep sleeper Kaytron Allen and White may make the Commanders backfield murkier than the Reflecting Pool, but their roles are clearer than most suspect.
    — Brad Evans, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The situation is also murky for those living outside their favorite team’s region.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of murky
Adjective
  • The executive order does not set a deadline for the committee to submit its recommendations, leaving it unclear when a temporary board could be seated.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Even if debris completely burns up during reentry, the effect of so much metal and other aerospace materials being dumped into our planet’s fragile upper atmosphere is unclear.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of unclear

Browse Nearby Words

unknowability
unknowable
unknowing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unknowable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknowable. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unknowable

Nglish: Translation of unknowable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All