unanswerable

[ uhn-an-ser-uh-buh l, -ahn- ]

/ ʌnˈæn sər ə bəl, -ˈɑn- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR unanswerable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not capable of being answered; not having a known or discoverable answer: an unanswerable question.

not open to dispute or rebuttal; irrefutable; conclusive: an unanswerable proof.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

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Origin of unanswerable

First recorded in 1605–15; un-¹ + answerable

OTHER WORDS FROM unanswerable

un·an·swer·a·ble·ness, nounun·an·swer·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby unanswerable

unamused, unaneled, unanimity, unanimous, unannounced, unanswerable, unanswered, unanticipated, unappealable, unappealing, unappetizing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for unanswerable

Like most things Grammy-related, it is an unanswerable question.
Beyonce Gave the Best Grammy Awards Performance (And 8 More That Were Pretty Good, Too)|Kevin Fallon|January 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The unanswerable questions my twins often ask me, such as, “Dad, why is your ear here?”
Ma Jian: How I Write|Noah Charney|June 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is, in some sense, an unanswerable existential question.
"Tax Breaks for Corporate Jets": The Non-Issue at the Heart of the Presidential Agenda|Megan McArdle|April 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
MacLaine, avid spiritualist and searcher, is comfortable with the unanswerable.
Shirley MacLaine on ‘Bernie,’ ‘Downton Abbey,’ and Her Lifetime Achievments|Lorenza Muñoz|April 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They do not inspire us into unquestioning loyalty; they sadden us and provoke the unanswerable existential question: Why?
A Very Good War|Bob Kerrey|March 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This argument was unanswerable, so Nelly made no reply, and Larry went on.
The Golden Dream|R.M. Ballantyne
“But yet, if it wasn't true, he wouldn't dare,” was the unanswerable reply.
The Wilderness Trail|Frank Williams
I mumbled some politeness in answer to his unanswerable opening, and started the one possible topic of the weather.
The Jervaise Comedy|J. D. Beresford
He shrugged his shoulders, unable apparently to gainsay this unanswerable argument.
A Bride of the Plains|Baroness Emmuska Orczy
At the conclusion of this speech every man and child felt that it was unanswerable.
Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2)|William H. Herndon

British Dictionary definitions for unanswerable

unanswerable

/ (ʌnˈɑːnsərəbəl) /

adjective

incapable of being refuted

(of a question) not admitting of any answer

Derived forms of unanswerable

unanswerableness, noununanswerably, adverb

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

unanswerable

adjective

QUIZZES

Origin of unanswerable

OTHER WORDS FROM unanswerable

Words nearby unanswerable

Words related to unanswerable

Example sentences from the Web for unanswerable

British Dictionary definitions for unanswerable

adjective

Derived forms of unanswerable