inexplicable

[ in-ek-spli-kuh-buhl, in-ik-splik-uh-buhl ]

/ ɪnˈɛk splɪ kə bəl, ˌɪn ɪkˈsplɪk ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inexplicable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not explicable; incapable of being accounted for or explained.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of inexplicable

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word inexplicābilis. See in-³, explicable

SYNONYMS FOR inexplicable

unaccountable, mysterious, mystifying.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inexplicable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsin·ex·pli·ca·bil·i·ty, in·ex·pli·ca·ble·ness, nounin·ex·pli·ca·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inexplicable

It lets us see that our weird and inexplicable urges are actually normal and easily explained.
Heartache by the Numbers and OkCupid’s Founder Has Got Yours|Will Doig|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I admire Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist and author of Space Chronicles and Inexplicable Universe.
Vilified Bitcoin Tycoon After Losing $500 Million: My Life Is at Risk|Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Secretary of State John Kerry called the group, “ugly, savage, inexplicable, nihilistic, valueless evil.”
Don't Start a War Over a Hostage|Jacob Siegel|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She waited for the inexplicable sentiment to fade away, but instead it intensified and she began to sob.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death|Patricia Pearson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There is no good reason beyond that inexplicable American habit of following beaten paths.
Lake Bacon: The Story of The Man Who Wanted Us to Eat Mississippi Hippos|Jon Mooallem|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Till Antonio de Dominis the rainbow was considered as an inexplicable miracle.
Letters on England|Voltaire
But she gave up that point as being only one more of the inexplicable tortuosities of a man's sense of honour.
The Eldest Son|Archibald Marshall
Whence came all the faiths but from that inexplicable feeling of the heart, that surge and swell arising we know not whence?
The Hearts of Men|H. Fielding
To Gilbert much of this feeling was inexplicable, because he was ignorant of the circumstances which had called it into existence.
The Story Of Kennett|Bayard Taylor
Unless we admit it most of the facts of comparative anatomy and physiology are inexplicable.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for inexplicable

inexplicable

inexplainable

/ (ˌɪnɪkˈsplɪkəbəl, ɪnˈɛksplɪkəbəl) /

adjective

not capable of explanation; unexplainable

Derived Formsinexplicability, inexplicableness, inexplainability or inexplainableness, nouninexplicably or inexplainably, 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

Word Origin and History for inexplicable

inexplicable

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French inexplicable or directly from Latin inexplicabilis "that cannot be unfolded or disentangled, very intricate," figuratively, "inexplicable," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + explicabilis "that may be explained" (see explicable). Related: Inexplicably.