incalculable
Americanadjective
-
very numerous or great.
-
unable to be calculated; beyond calculation.
-
incapable of being forecast or predicted; undeterminable.
- Synonyms:
- unforeseeable, unpredictable
-
uncertain; unsure.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incalculable
First recorded in 1785–95; in- 3 + calculable
Explanation
Something that can't be counted — because it's too big, or it just can't be pinned down that way — is incalculable. A kindergarten class's excitement on Halloween is incalculable. The depth of your love for your cat might be incalculable, and so is the concept of infinity. Things that can't be accurately measured can be described with the adjective incalculable, as can things that aren't predictable: "His anger over the dent in his car was incalculable. The root of the word is calculate, or count, which comes from the Latin calculare, "to reckon, or to compute."
Vocabulary lists containing incalculable
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 10
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Ben Bradlee (1921-2014) Tribute List
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Cleopatra
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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.
Spain's King Felipe VI, visiting a shelter for evacuees, said the wildfires ravaging the countryside around Madrid and other areas had caused "incalculable" damage to the nation's natural heritage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
For New Yorkers who have taken to celebrating wins by stopping traffic and dancing around firetrucks, the joy from the Knicks’ 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals is incalculable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
“A day of incalculable shame on our government,” co-counsel Mark Rosenbaum of the civil rights law firm Public Counsel wrote in an email.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
Actions of any sort in one generation might have incalculable consequences in another, so that merely to sneeze was a pebble thrown into a pond, whose circles might lap the furthest shores.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
