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impalpable

[ im-pal-puh-buh l ]
/ ɪmˈpæl pə bəl /
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adjective

not palpable; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch; intangible.
difficult for the mind to grasp readily or easily: impalpable distinctions.
(of powder) so fine that when rubbed between the fingers no grit is felt.

RELATED WORDS

airy, delicate, fine, imperceptible, incorporeal, indiscernible, indistinct, insensible, insubstantial, nebulous, shadowy, tenuous, thin, vague, disembodied, imponderable, inappreciable, imprecise, unapparent

Nearby words

  1. impaired,
  2. impairment,
  3. impala,
  4. impale,
  5. impalement,
  6. impanate,
  7. impanation,
  8. impanel,
  9. impar,
  10. imparadise

Origin of impalpable

First recorded in 1500–10; im-2 + palpable
Related formsim·pal·pa·bil·i·ty, nounim·pal·pa·bly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impalpable

British Dictionary definitions for impalpable

impalpable

/ (ɪmˈpælpəbəl) /

adjective

imperceptible, esp to the touchimpalpable shadows
difficult to understand; abstruse
Derived Formsimpalpability, nounimpalpably, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for impalpable

impalpable

adj.

c.1500, from French impalpable, from Medieval Latin impalpabilis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + palpabilis (see palpable). Figurative use from 1774. Related: Impalpably; impalpability.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper