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
- ineffability noun
- ineffableness noun
- ineffably adverb
Etymology
Origin of ineffable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word ineffābilis. See in- 3, effable
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.
"We are grateful for her passion, her wit, her ineffable style, and all the summers she spent in the tent."
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
Then, after a short silence, the music resumed, but now with the addition of Mr. Muhly on prepared piano, lending ineffable poignancy to strains of unsentimental emotionalism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
This trend is often blamed on an ineffable consumer preference, or Americans’ being fat, but that isn’t exactly true.
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025
“It’s not just fatigue — it’s an ineffable, system wide cry for help and I don’t know how long I can remain in this state,” Moriarty continues in her text to her mother.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025
It provides a glimpse of the ineffable and the infinite.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
