unanswerable
Americanadjective
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not capable of being answered; not having a known or discoverable answer.
an unanswerable question.
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not open to dispute or rebuttal; irrefutable; conclusive.
an unanswerable proof.
adjective
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incapable of being refuted
-
(of a question) not admitting of any answer
Other Word Forms
- unanswerableness noun
- unanswerably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unanswerable
First recorded in 1605–15; un- 1 + answerable
Explanation
If there is no possibly way to respond to a question, it's unanswerable. "What is the meaning of life?" is an unanswerable question. Some questions are answerable, like "Who was the first person to walk on the moon?" and "What is your name?" Others are too complex or unknowable to be answered, like the unanswerable question, "Who is the happiest person in the world?" Both answerable and unanswerable trace their roots to the Old English answarian, "make an answer in reply."
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.
Together was a creation of the young, with their devastating and unanswerable insight: “You’re leaving—we’re coming.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
Faced with this ludicrously broad question, Kahlil either ventured his best guess as to which group memberships are relevant, or, more likely, he simply answered “no” to this largely unanswerable question.
From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025
The boy was sentenced to seven years in custody while the girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month curfew, which Mrs Kohli said was "unanswerable".
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025
The question, unanswerable on its face, assumes special importance when national security is at stake.
From Salon • Nov. 24, 2024
“One week before, we agreed ‘What is beauty?’ is a question unanswerable, yes?
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
