indefinable

American  

[in-di-fahy-nuh-buhl] / ˌɪn dɪˈfaɪ nə bəl /

adjective

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

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noun

1. something that cannot be defined.

   the indefinables of great musicianship.

indefinable British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈfaɪnəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being defined or analysed

   there was an indefinable sense of terror

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Other Word Forms

• indefinableness noun
• indefinably adverb

Etymology

Origin of indefinable

First recorded in 1800–10; in- ³ + definable ( def. )

Example Sentences

That is what cinema is all about, an indefinable presence, faces full of expression, voices that cannot be easily replicated, eyes that channel energy that can move and frighten and surprise us.

From Los Angeles Times

He had that indefinable, invisible glow that changes the atmosphere and draws people in, like a sub-lethal dose of radiation.

From Salon

It expresses a general anxiety the prompt of which is indefinable, a nagging sense that has no singularly compelling explanation.

From Salon

When it’s completely indefinable, it exists as a cloud.

From Los Angeles Times

A recent New Yorker profile of Jeremy Strong seemed determined to find eccentricity in the actor’s dedication to craft, just as so many people with public platforms voiced their often indefinable irritation with Hathaway’s.

From Los Angeles Times