intangible
Americanadjective
-
not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.
-
not definite or clear to the mind.
intangible arguments.
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(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.
noun
adjective
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incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable
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imprecise or unclear to the mind
intangible ideas
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(of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing intangible
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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"To Build a Fire," Vocabulary from the short story
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Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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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.
On Dec. 5, 2023, UNESCO, the United Nation’s agency aimed at safeguarding social and cultural foundations, recognized the musical genre as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
It was a "major achievement of national cultural policy," the official said, to get the "art of Akhal-Teke horse breeding and traditions of horses' decoration" added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
The festival, which concludes on 26 February, has been recognised as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations agency Unesco.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025
He wants the International Seabed Authority Council to establish a Committee on Intangible Underwater Cultural Heritage which can advise the Council on how mining proposals might affect Indigenous peoples’ cultural connection to the ocean.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
Intangible things are not less real, and from the earth to the stars, from the stars to the earth, a see-saw motion takes place, a transmission, a continual change of place.
From Bouvard and Pécuchet A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life by Flaubert, Gustave
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.
