inexplicable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- inexplicability noun
- inexplicableness noun
- inexplicably adverb
Etymology
Origin of inexplicable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word inexplicābilis. See in- 3, explicable
Explanation
Something inexplicable can't be explained. It doesn't make sense. You don't want to come to the beach on the most beautiful day of the year? That's inexplicable! Inexplicable is made up of the prefix in, which means "not," and explicable, which comes from the Latin explicabilis, meaning "unfolded, unraveled." Do you see the double negative? If something is not unfolded, it's folded up and tangled — like something that doesn't make sense. Your school's decision to call a snow day is inexplicable, if there's barely a layer of snow on the ground.
Vocabulary lists containing inexplicable
A Christmas Carol
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List 5
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The Scarlet Letter
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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.
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP Murray told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the errors were "inexplicable" as formal letters instructing councils to start preparing to hand over evidence "should have happened quite automatically".
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Rosa Padhilete, a Franciscan nun who came from Naples, said she felt an "immense, inexplicable joy" seeing the remains.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
For a confused college football fan trying to explain the inexplicable, there is a common thread running through all of the weekend’s upsets: the transfer portal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Today, I bring your attention to the Colorado Supreme Court, which this month reaffirmed an inexplicable quirk of its excessive sentencing jurisprudence that preemptively extinguishes constitutional rights for entire categories of people.
From Slate • Dec. 29, 2025
To the ancients, zero’s mathematical properties were inexplicable, as shrouded in mystery as the birth of the universe.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
