incomprehensible
Americanadjective
-
impossible to understand or comprehend; unintelligible.
- Synonyms:
- obscure, bewildering, baffling
-
Archaic. limitless; not limited or capable of being limited.
adjective
-
incapable of being understood; unintelligible
-
archaic limitless; boundless
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incomprehensible
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word incomprehēnsibilis. See in- 3, comprehensible
Explanation
If your poetry is incomprehensible, it's difficult to understand, and it might be impossible to explain. Could be you're a genius! Could be you're just not very good at poetry. Incomprehensible originates from the Latin incomprehensibilis: in- ("not") and comprehensibilis ("perceptible, evident, intelligible"). Many unfamiliar customs or rituals seem incomprehensible from a distance, for example, the early Chinese practice of foot binding, in which girls tightly bandaged their feet to prevent them from getting bigger. Similarly, future generations may find today's Western high-heeled shoes incomprehensible, leading them to ask, "What in the world were they thinking?!"
Vocabulary lists containing incomprehensible
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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.
Incomprehensible icons locked into the columns, all bearing numbers that read unbelievably, impossibly high.
From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025
Incomprehensible, the state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, said of Tuesday’s rampage.
From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2022
Incomprehensible, from income, earnings + prehens, grasping, as in “The candidate’s tax plan is incomprehensible.”
From Washington Post • Oct. 20, 2016
She also noted his "Incomprehensible" filings in the case.
From Chicago Tribune • Jun. 28, 2011
Incomprehensible voices battered him, sobs and shouts and wails stabbed the night, but Harry and Ginny walked on, back up the steps into the entrance hall.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
