inestimable
Americanadjective
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incapable of being estimated or assessed.
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too large or great to be estimated or appreciated.
The flood caused inestimable damage.
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of incalculable value; valuable beyond measure; priceless.
jewels of inestimable worth.
adjective
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not able to be estimated; immeasurable
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of immeasurable value
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inestimable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word inaestimābilis. See in- 3, estimable
Explanation
If something is so big you can’t even guess at its size, you’d call it inestimable. It can describe physical size (the inestimable universe) or a degree of something (your inestimable handsomeness with that new haircut). The prefix in- means “not,” and estimable has the same root as the word estimate, which means "to take an educated guess." Sometimes a thing is so great that you cannot even guess. A tsunami causes inestimable destruction. You’d need to travel inestimable miles to reach the edge of the universe. The love you have for your pet raccoon is inestimable, but the number of times she gets into your trash every week is quite estimable.
Vocabulary lists containing inestimable
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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The Launch of Sputnik 1
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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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.
Inestimable SIR,—A thousand blessings light upon your head!
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, September 25, 1841 by Various
Richard III, I., 4, 27: Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels.
From Philip Massinger by Cruickshank, A. H.
He has refused To sanction other laws, deemed advantageous To districts thickly peopled, unless they, Who dwelt therein, would basely throw away Their right to representatives—a right Inestimable, to themselves and only To Tyrants formidable.
From Mathieu Ropars: et cetera by Young, William
Inestimable privilege—to pull off the glutted leech and attach the lean one!
From The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays 1909 by Howes, S. O. (Silas Orrin)
Inestimable benefit of nature, that has given me a prop against which to sustain my unripened strength, and has not turned me loose to wander with tottering steps amidst the vast desert of society!
From Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the Author by Godwin, William
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.
