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.
They want to pierce the heavens and reach through the atmosphere to grasp the indescribable truth that unites us all.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
He said: "No words will ever be enough, just a lot of indescribable feelings."
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Two scents set her off the most: “Black Ice” from Little Trees—described by the company as a “mysteriously enticing cologne with notes of citrus and cedarwood,” but which she finds indescribable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
It "was planned long in advance" and created ongoing suffering among victims and their families that is "simply indescribable," prosecutor Matthias Boettcher told the court.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
That day she had felt a deep sense of foreboding, an indescribable wrongness that had nothing to do with the way the walls pressed in against the steps upward into the dark room above.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
