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
Someone has said that when a tourist sees the Grand Ca�on for the first time he gasps "Indescribable" and then immediately begins to describe it.
From Camps and Trails in China A Narrative of Exploration, Adventure, and Sport in Little-Known China by Andrews, Roy Chapman
Indescribable moans and gurgles, with a continuous malignant hiss, floated up to them from the rebel steam below, as from a volcano considering eruption.
From Stories of a Western Town by Thanet, Octave
Indescribable anguish was in her face—it was a hopeless face.
From California Sketches, Second Series by Fitzgerald, O. P.
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.
