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View synonyms for inscrutable

inscrutable

[ in-skroo-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

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

    Synonyms: undiscoverable, inexplicable, incomprehensible, hidden

    Antonyms: comprehensible

  2. not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable:

    an inscrutable smile.

  3. incapable of being seen through physically; physically impenetrable:

    the inscrutable depths of the ocean.



inscrutable

/ ɪnˈskruːtəbəl /

adjective

  1. incomprehensible; mysterious or enigmatic


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Derived Forms

  • inˌscrutaˈbility, noun
  • inˈscrutably, adverb

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Other Words From

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of inscrutable1

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of inscrutable1

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

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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Blind spots, communication breakdowns and incomprehensible secret selves may be endemic in this poetic rumination on things forever lost and inscrutable.

Every major tech company deploys AI and surveillance in ways that are inscrutable and often harmful.

From Time

While much of it is written in inscrutable scientific jargon, if you want to understand the scientific case for man-made global warming, look no further.

From Quartz

I started to think of it more as an inscrutable collection of processes and a map of sensation to be felt and known, rather than a product to be controlled.

The concept continues to fascinate and fictional approaches keep coming, prodding us to wonder whether time travel is physically possible and, for that matter, makes logical sense in the face of its inscrutable paradoxes.

And yes, the NCAA recently rejiggered its Talumudically inscrutable rules in ways that will benefit the selfsame big five.

But the underlying cause remains inscrutable—and still too dissimilar to draw general conclusions.

[Laughs] Nina seems to me to be the most inscrutable character—the most opaque character—and fascinating because of it.

The characters are inscrutable, the plotting careless, and, at every opportunity, Bowles subverts the dramatic stakes.

Jamie Malanowski on the legacy of an inscrutable rock-and-roll legend.

The glowing world seemed peopled by tiny folk, living out their timid, inscrutable lives around him.

Each step he had taken in the inquiry only plunged him deeper and deeper into an inscrutable problem.

The young agent had a certain inscrutable air about him, for all his youth, which was most disturbing.

The latter glanced swiftly at Lechmere, but he could make nothing of the other's inscrutable face.

No one gave her any heed except as the Cousin girl walked by her several times, watching her with inscrutable eyes.

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