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.
In Spain, King Felipe VI, visiting an emergency shelter for evacuees on Madrid's western outskirts, said the wildfires had caused "incalculable" damage to his country's natural heritage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
What meaning did individual human life have in a vast universe that had existed for incalculable eons?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
And there is the incalculable value of knowing that your money helps public media, and the creators it in turn helps fund, survive and thrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
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
This sounds very simple, but its psychological effects are incalculable.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
