imponderable

American  

[im-pon-der-uh-buhl] / ɪmˈpɒn dər ə bəl /

adjective

1. not ponderable; that cannot be precisely determined, measured, or evaluated.

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noun

1. an imponderable thing, force, agency, etc.

imponderable British  

/ ɪmˈpɒndərəbəl, -drəbəl /

adjective

1. unable to be weighed or assessed

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noun

1. something difficult or impossible to assess

Other Word Forms

• imponderability noun
• imponderableness noun
• imponderably adverb

Etymology

Origin of imponderable

From the Medieval Latin word imponderābilis, dating back to 1785–95. See im- ², ponderable

Example Sentences

How all these forces will play out as the bidding war for WBD moves toward its conclusion is imponderable just now.

From Los Angeles Times

The senior Essex coroner, Lincoln Brookes, found "no evidential basis to consider this attack was possibly preventable so many years and imponderables later".

From BBC

It is an imponderable question, but the beginnings of the answer to the first part look like they are already being seen.

From BBC

This apparent to-be-or-not-to-be moment initiates a story that finds him wrestling with imponderables, having anguished meltdowns and trying to realize his utopian project using a building material he has invented as he navigates assorted hurdles.

From New York Times

“Nolan’s latest may well be full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, or it may signify something imponderably resonant, and signify it forward, backward and inside out. Does your head hurt yet?”

From Los Angeles Times