incommunicable

[ in-kuh-myoo-ni-kuh-buh l ]

/ ˌɪn kəˈmyu nɪ kə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incommunicable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

incapable of being communicated, imparted, shared, etc.

not communicative; taciturn.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of incommunicable

From the Late Latin word incommūnicābilis, dating back to 1560–70. See in-³, communicable

Related formsin·com·mu·ni·ca·bil·i·ty, in·com·mu·ni·ca·ble·ness, nounin·com·mu·ni·ca·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incommunicable

The incommunicable thrill of things, that is the tuning-fork by which we test the flatness of our art.
Must Read Novels: Ballard, Dybek, and Krasznahorkai|Jacob Silverman, Malcolm Forbes, John McIntyre|April 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We need to be reminded occasionally that there are incommunicable elements in all art.
How to Write a Novel|Anonymous
Once in, she could not get out until, ultimately, the incommunicable name was uttered.
The Lords of the Ghostland|Edgar Saltus
O purblind, well-meaning, altogether fuscous Melesigenes-Wilbur, there are things in him incommunicable by stroke of birch!
The Biglow Papers|James Russell Lowell

We do not speak of His Deity, of course, which is incommunicable.
The Assembly of God|C. (Charles) H. (Henry) Mackintosh
Something, an incommunicable vastness of feeling, rose up into his eyes as a light and shone forth.
White Fang|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for incommunicable

incommunicable

/ (ˌɪnkəˈmjuːnɪkəbəl) /

adjective

incapable of being communicated

an obsolete word for incommunicative

Derived Formsincommunicability or incommunicableness, nounincommunicably, 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 incommunicable

incommunicable

adj.

1560s, "not communicative," from in- (1) "not" + communicable. Sense of "not able to be communicated" first recorded 1570s. Related: Incommunicably.