inexpressible

American  

[in-ik-spres-uh-buhl] / ˌɪn ɪkˈsprɛs ə bəl /

adjective

1. not expressible; incapable of being uttered or described in words.

   a scene of inexpressible beauty.

---

noun

1. Archaic. inexpressibles, trousers; pants.

inexpressible British  

/ ˌɪnɪkˈsprɛsəbəl /

adjective

1. too great, etc, to be expressed or uttered; indescribable

---

Other Word Forms

• inexpressibility noun
• inexpressibleness noun
• inexpressibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of inexpressible

First recorded in 1615–25; in- ³ + expressible ( def. )

Example Sentences

It reveals much about the inner lives of people with non-verbal autism, worlds that often remain devastatingly inexpressible.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2023

“It’s an exorcism of sorts, to put into words and symbols this almost inexpressible anguish. That was why I started, to try and alleviate the despair.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 7, 2022

Like those pilots, in Vietnam I connected and cried with people I'd never met, people who live on the other side of the world and who endured inexpressible suffering.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2022

And we were all sustained there with a savour inexpressible which satisfied us.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2019

Certain common ideas become inexpressible; other, previously undreamt-of ones spring to life, finding miraculous new articulation.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt