indescribable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indescribable
First recorded in 1785–95; in- 3 + describable ( def. )
Explanation
Something indescribable is too intense, extreme or unusual to describe. It's beyond words. Have you ever noticed how some things are tough or impossible to put into words? Those things are indescribable. The feeling after you win the Olympic gold medal in swimming is probably indescribable. The astronauts who traveled to the moon had an indescribable experience. Some say an incredible athlete like Michael Jordan is indescribable. Of course, nothing is truly indescribable — people describe just about everything. Still, this is a great word for when you feel like words just aren't enough.
Vocabulary lists containing indescribable
The Skin I'm In
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Obama's speech at Connecticut vigil
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: scrib, scribe
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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.
Indescribable, but eminently readable, the actor-comedian’s book consists of a carnival of observations, ideas and events that may or may not make up a memoir.
From Washington Post • Oct. 31, 2019
The other is “I Want to Be a Child Star,” which, like “One Indescribable Instant,” shows how kids absorb messed up messages from Hollywood.
From Slate • Nov. 5, 2018
Indescribable the confusion of this toilers' settlement—houses and workshops tumbled together as if by chance, the ways climbing and winding into all manner of pitch-dark recesses, where eats prowled stealthily.
From Eve's Ransom by Gissing, George
Indescribable relief spread itself over Million's small face.
From Miss Million's Maid A Romance of Love and Fortune by Onions, Mrs. Oliver
Indescribable dismay filled the Austrian ranks as wildly they rushed before their unrelenting pursuers.
From Napoleon Bonaparte by Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
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.
