inscrutable
Americanadjective
-
incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.
- Synonyms:
- inexplicable, undiscoverable, incomprehensible, hidden
- Antonyms:
- comprehensible
-
not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable.
an inscrutable smile.
-
incapable of being seen through physically; physically impenetrable.
the inscrutable depths of the ocean.
adjective
Related Words
See mysterious.
Other Word Forms
- inscrutability noun
- inscrutableness noun
- inscrutably adverb
Etymology
Origin of inscrutable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word inscrūtābilis. See in- 3, scrutable
Explanation
Any person or thing that's mysterious, mystifying, hard to read, or impossible to interpret is inscrutable. You ever notice how it's hard to tell what some people are thinking? Those folks are inscrutable. A good way to think about what inscrutable means is to consider cats and dogs. Dogs wear their hearts on their sleeves, shaking when they're afraid and bouncing up and down when they're happy. Dogs are definitely not inscrutable, because you can tell what they're thinking and feeling. On the other hand, cats are very difficult to read. Even longtime cat owners aren't always sure what's going on with their kitty. Cats are very inscrutable animals.
Vocabulary lists containing inscrutable
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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1984
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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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.
Telecasts became crowded with inscrutable advanced metrics and probabilities.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
Pegula described the inscrutable Rybakina as "cool as a cucumber".
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
Although Leo is more inscrutable than Francis, Catholics are beginning to get a better sense of the man beneath the cassock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
Despite chronicling decades of István’s life, “Flesh,” through narrative omissions, leaves readers with an inscrutable protagonist they nonetheless remain deeply invested in.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
When we get to the hidden passageway, he crawls in with only a single inscrutable glance back at me.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
