ineffable
Americanadjective
-
incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible.
ineffable joy.
-
not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable.
the ineffable name of the deity.
- Synonyms:
- unspeakable
adjective
-
too great or intense to be expressed in words; unutterable
-
too sacred to be uttered
-
indescribable; indefinable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ineffable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word ineffābilis. See in- 3, effable
Explanation
Anything ineffable is unspeakably beautiful, moving, or horrible. It’s beyond expression. If something is so powerful or emotional that you can't even describe it, it’s ineffable. Ineffable ideas and emotions are difficult to put into words. Parents might feel an ineffable sadness and pride when watching their youngest child graduate from high school. Ineffable can also be used to describe a name that is so sacred you’re not allowed to say it. This word comes from the adjective effable, which means “something that can lawfully be expressed in words,” and isn’t used much anymore.
Vocabulary lists containing ineffable
The Great Gatsby
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thomas Cussins, president of Oakland, California-based Ineffable Music, which owns and operates clubs and festivals, said the number of their tickets that are scalped was cut in half by partnering with Lyte.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2019
Thomas Cussins, president of Oakland, California-based Ineffable Music, which owns and operates clubs and festivals, said the number of their tickets that are scalped was cut in half by partnering with Lyte.
From Washington Times • Aug. 24, 2019
The incorporeal mingling, the mystical union of two varied emanations of life; as Light and Heat intermarry in their offset and passage from the sun; and Truth and Love from the breast of The Ineffable!
From Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, March 1844 Volume 23, Number 3 by Clark, Lewis Gaylord
And they who are worthy of the Mysteries that dwell in the Ineffable, which are those that have not emanated—these are prior to the First Mystery.
From The Gnostic Crucifixion by Mead, G. R. S.
Ineffable distillations of a soft delight were wafted from the fields and hills.
From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Melville, Herman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
