unanswerable
Americanadjective
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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.
adjective
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incapable of being refuted
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(of a question) not admitting of any answer
Other Word Forms
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.
Unanswerable concepts, like: “Why am I a failure?”
From The Guardian • Jan. 10, 2017
Some 30 pupils from Chirnside Primary School will perform a philosophy play called "Unanswerable Questions", co-written with their drama teacher Eloner Crawford.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2011
Unanswerable was the previous week's thrust at Columnist McIntyre when sardonic Westbrook Pegler made his entire syndicated column a stinging parody of "New York Day By Day."
From Time Magazine Archive
But I did not expect his answer: “The Weaver will refuse it. Unanswerable questions have wrecked Foretelling groups.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Unanswerable, grim questions, and now she no longer had herself to fear for.
From The Octopus : A story of California by Norris, Frank
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.
