indefinable

[in-di-fahy-nuh-buhl]

adjective

1. not definable; not readily identified, described, analyzed, or determined.

noun

1. something that cannot be defined.

   the indefinables of great musicianship.

indefinable

/ ˌɪndɪˈfaɪnəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being defined or analysed

   there was an indefinable sense of terror

Other Word Forms

• indefinableness noun
• indefinably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of indefinable¹

First recorded in 1800–10; in- ³ + definable ( def. )

Example Sentences

That is what cinema is all about, an indefinable presence, faces full of expression, voices that cannot be easily replicated, eyes that channel energy that can move and frighten and surprise us.

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He had that indefinable, invisible glow that changes the atmosphere and draws people in, like a sub-lethal dose of radiation.

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They introduced me to a vibrant mix of people - some became short-term flings, others full-blown relationships, and then there were the other indefinable in-betweens.

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It expresses a general anxiety the prompt of which is indefinable, a nagging sense that has no singularly compelling explanation.

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When it’s completely indefinable, it exists as a cloud.

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