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View synonyms for intangible

intangible

[ in-tan-juh-buhl ]

adjective

  1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.
  2. not definite or clear to the mind:

    intangible arguments.

    Synonyms: fleeting, elusive, vague

  3. (of an asset, such as reputation or a patent) not physical or financial, and often not measurable or transferable, but contributing to the value of a business.


noun

  1. something intangible, especially an intangible asset:

    Intangibles are hard to value.

intangible

/ ɪnˈtændʒɪbəl /

adjective

  1. incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable
  2. imprecise or unclear to the mind

    intangible ideas

  3. (of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value


noun

  1. something that is intangible

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Derived Forms

  • inˌtangiˈbility, noun
  • inˈtangibly, adverb

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Other Words From

  • in·tan·gi·bil·i·ty [in-tan-j, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], in·tan·gi·ble·ness noun
  • in·tan·gi·bly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of intangible1

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin intangibilis; in- 3( def ), tangible ( def )

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Example Sentences

Until then, offsets had seemed abstract and intangible to me.

Though it can be viscerally felt, company culture is a largely intangible thing—all the more so when there’s no office to bring people together and serve as a physical manifestation of an organization’s style or values.

From Quartz

It’s these intangibles that provide context to music, and these difficult-to-describe elements can’t be represented in data that software understands—at least for now.

From Fortune

This is a necessary resource, just as familiar as the first one, including both tangible and intangible assets.

Yet there were so many intangibles — a love of nature, the busy pace of life, the high cost of moving — that conspired to keep us from leaving.

Indeed, in 2011 UNESCO received a formal petition to declare Latin and Greek an “intangible heritage of humanity.”

The touted gains of attack are intangible, while its downside is real and grave.

Does coming to terms with the past require the destruction of its effects, tangible or intangible?

Or is there something more intangible going on in the workplace?

In fact, intellectual property and, more broadly, intangible assets now dominate American business.

The way seemed perfectly plain, and yet everything seemed intangible, unreal.

What becomes of the invisible and intangible molecules which have composed our body during life?

It was his link with the otherwise inaccessible and intangible elements in her, the elements that made for separation.

Instantly in a single dazzling flash of flame the tangible forest symbol vanished in intangible fragrance.

Besides, we shall have to examine whether the earth be invisible without fire, and the fire intangible without822 the earth.

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intangibilityintarsia