intangible

American  

[in-tan-juh-buhl] / ɪnˈtæn dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.

2. not definite or clear to the mind.

   intangible arguments.

   Synonyms:

   fleeting, elusive, vague

3. (of an asset, such as reputation or a patent) not physical or financial, and often not measurable or transferable, but contributing to the value of a business.

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noun

• intangibles
  plural

1. something intangible, especially an intangible asset.

   Intangibles are hard to value.

intangible British  

/ ɪnˈtændʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable

2. imprecise or unclear to the mind

   intangible ideas

3. (of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value

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noun

1. something that is intangible

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intangibility
  noun
• intangibleness
  noun
• intangibly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intangibles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intangible

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin intangibilis; see in- ³ ( def. ), tangible ( def. )

Explanation

You can't touch this word — it is intangible. You can grasp the meaning of the word in your head, but you can't close your hands around it; you'll just put fingerprints on your monitor. The Latin verb tangere means "to touch," and the 16th-century English word tangible comes from it. Something intangible can't be touched physically, but most of the time it is understandable or even felt in the heart. Sadness can't be picked up and thrown in the garbage can because it is intangible, but you can throw away the tissues wet with tears. Laughing is intangible too, but you can hold onto movies, pets, and friends that make you laugh.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intangible intangibles

“He’s done so many intangible things that I think get lost in the shuffle of numbers and metrics,” Prior said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

He said estimating the value of the sapling was difficult, because of its intangible sentimental value, likening it to a piece of "stolen art".

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

“Data businesses and other intangible assets are harder to disrupt,” said Simon Webber, head of global equities at Schroders.

From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026

The changes announced Wednesday mean UBS won’t immediately face an $11 billion deduction from its $71 billion capital related to certain intangible assets such as software and deferred tax assets, as some analysts had predicted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

And there were moments when he had thrown the ball so exquisitely, with such a soft, intangible touch, that it was hard to believe he couldn’t make a contribution somewhere.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Yet there are also intangibles that can't simply be measured in data.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Warner said the overall loss figure also includes $1.3 billion of pretax acquisition-related amortization of intangibles, content fair value step-up and restructuring expenses,

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

So we asked workplace performance expert Henna Pryor how workers can go about making sure they have more of the intangibles that could be required to stand out in the AI era.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026

So even if she’s one ACL short, Vonn’s team knows she has more than enough of the intangibles to get her not only down the mountain, but into medal contention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026

Grief, terror, love, longing — these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Related Words

• ethereal
• unreal