inscrutable

[ in-skroo-tuh-buhl ]
See synonyms for: inscrutableinscrutabilityinscrutableness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.

  2. not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable: an inscrutable smile.

  1. incapable of being seen through physically; physically impenetrable: the inscrutable depths of the ocean.

Origin of inscrutable

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word inscrūtābilis.See in-3, scrutable

synonym study For inscrutable

1. See mysterious.

Other words for inscrutable

Opposites for inscrutable

Other words from inscrutable

  • in·scru·ta·bil·i·ty, in·scru·ta·ble·ness, noun
  • in·scru·ta·bly, adverb

Words Nearby inscrutable

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How to use inscrutable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inscrutable

inscrutable

/ (ɪnˈskruːtəbəl) /


adjective
  1. incomprehensible; mysterious or enigmatic

Origin of inscrutable

1
C15: from Late Latin inscrūtābilis, from Latin in- 1 + scrūtārī to examine

Derived forms of inscrutable

  • inscrutability or inscrutableness, noun
  • inscrutably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012