impalpable

American  

[im-pal-puh-buhl] / ɪmˈpæl pə bəl /

adjective

1. not palpable; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch; intangible.

2. difficult for the mind to grasp readily or easily.

   impalpable distinctions.

3. (of powder) so fine that when rubbed between the fingers no grit is felt.

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impalpable British  

/ ɪmˈpælpəbəl /

adjective

1. imperceptible, esp to the touch

   impalpable shadows

2. difficult to understand; abstruse

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Other Word Forms

• impalpability noun
• impalpably adverb

Etymology

Origin of impalpable

First recorded in 1500–10; im- ² + palpable

Explanation

Impalpable describes a feeling that, though real, you can’t logically explain. If you don't know why you love peanut butter and banana sandwiches so much, maybe your reasons are impalpable. If you’ve ever used the words “I can’t quite put my finger on it” to describe something that you have observed but can't really explain, then you already have a good idea of what impalpable means. Impalpable traces back to the Latin word palpabilis, meaning “that may be touched or felt.” Combine that with the prefix im-, and the word gets its meaning of something that can’t be perceived by normal senses.

Example Sentences

“Many physicists did not like it because they called it impalpable and a little bit mystical,” Nesteruk told Salon in a phone interview.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025

Through their lenses, we see different visions of the artist in his studio, surrounded by his attempts to capture something solid but impalpable about humanity.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 19, 2022

But how the squishy, pinkish-gray, wrinkled mass of the physical brain gives rise to these impalpable experiences remains a mystery.

From Scientific American • Apr. 28, 2022

Afterward, as in Vienna, property relations were forever altered, which had an impalpable but unmistakable effect on attitudes.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2021

And, yet, out of it all, over and above all that had happened, impalpable but real, there remained to him a queer sense of power.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright