intangible

American  

[in-tan-juh-buhl] / ɪnˈtæn dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.

2. not definite or clear to the mind.

   intangible arguments.

   Synonyms:

   fleeting, elusive, vague

3. (of an asset, such as reputation or a patent) not physical or financial, and often not measurable or transferable, but contributing to the value of a business.

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noun

intangibles plural

1. something intangible, especially an intangible asset.

   Intangibles are hard to value.

intangible British  

/ ɪnˈtændʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable

2. imprecise or unclear to the mind

   intangible ideas

3. (of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value

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noun

1. something that is intangible

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intangibility
  noun
• intangibleness
  noun
• intangibly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intangibles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intangible

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin intangibilis; see in- ³ ( def. ), tangible ( def. )

Explanation

You can't touch this word — it is intangible. You can grasp the meaning of the word in your head, but you can't close your hands around it; you'll just put fingerprints on your monitor. The Latin verb tangere means "to touch," and the 16th-century English word tangible comes from it. Something intangible can't be touched physically, but most of the time it is understandable or even felt in the heart. Sadness can't be picked up and thrown in the garbage can because it is intangible, but you can throw away the tissues wet with tears. Laughing is intangible too, but you can hold onto movies, pets, and friends that make you laugh.

Example Sentences

As the European Central Bank noted in a 2023 study, the "associated transactions in these intangible assets are often unrelated to euro area business cycle dynamics."

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

What Gyllenhaal was promoting was intangible, something that money couldn’t buy and no agent could secure: his personal definition of masculinity.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

The changes announced Wednesday mean UBS won’t immediately face an $11 billion deduction from its $71 billion capital related to certain intangible assets such as software and deferred tax assets, as some analysts had predicted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Return on tangible common equity, or ROTCE, has become a standard measurement of earnings power for banks, with the denominator excluding intangible assets, such as deferred tax assets, loan-servicing rights and goodwill.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

The spiders seemed to multiply like magic, growing and pulsating into an intangible mass.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• ethereal
• unreal