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inscrutable

[ in-skroo-tuh-buhl ]
/ ɪnˈskru tə bəl /
||

adjective

incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.
not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable: an inscrutable smile.
incapable of being seen through physically; physically impenetrable: the inscrutable depths of the ocean.

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Nearby words

  1. inscribe,
  2. inscription,
  3. inscriptive,
  4. inscroll,
  5. inscrutability,
  6. insculp,
  7. inseam,
  8. insect,
  9. insect wax,
  10. insecta

Origin of inscrutable

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word inscrūtābilis. See in-3, scrutable
SYNONYMS FOR inscrutable
1. hidden, incomprehensible, undiscoverable, inexplicable.
ANTONYMS FOR inscrutable
1. comprehensible.
Related formsin·scru·ta·bil·i·ty, in·scru·ta·ble·ness, nounin·scru·ta·bly, adverb

Synonym study

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

Examples from the Web for inscrutably

British Dictionary definitions for inscrutably

inscrutable

/ (ɪnˈskruːtəbəl) /

adjective

incomprehensible; mysterious or enigmatic
Derived Formsinscrutability or inscrutableness, nouninscrutably, adverb

Word Origin for inscrutable

C15: from Late Latin inscrūtābilis, from Latin in- 1 + scrūtārī to examine
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 inscrutably

inscrutable

adj.

c.1500, from Late Latin inscrutabilis, from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + scrutabilis, from scrutari "examine, ransack" (see scrutiny). Related: Inscrutably.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper