indefinable

[ in-di-fahy-nuh-buhl ]
See synonyms for: indefinableindefinably on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. not definable; not readily identified, described, analyzed, or determined.

noun
  1. something that cannot be defined: the indefinables of great musicianship.

Origin of indefinable

1
First recorded in 1800–10; in-3 + definable

Other words from indefinable

  • in·de·fin·a·ble·ness, noun
  • in·de·fin·a·bly, adverb

Words Nearby indefinable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indefinable in a sentence

  • But the impression was so fleeting as to be indefinable, and soon I was busy getting everyone settled in the car.

    Uncanny Tales | Various
  • In my dreams again and again an indefinable shadow mockingly comes and cries to me, he is not to be yours, he is to be mine.

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • There was in it the indefinable hardening and ageing which seemed to Boyson to have affected the whole personality.

    Marriage la mode | Mrs. Humphry Ward
  • The features, he tells us, were distinguished neither by regularity nor classical beauty, but had an indefinable charm.

British Dictionary definitions for indefinable

indefinable

/ (ˌɪndɪˈfaɪnəbəl) /


adjective
  1. incapable of being defined or analysed: there was an indefinable sense of terror

Derived forms of indefinable

  • indefinableness, noun
  • indefinably, 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