uncountable

American  

[uhn-koun-tuh-buhl] / ʌnˈkaʊn tə bəl /

adjective

1. not countable; incapable of having the total precisely ascertained.

   uncountable colonies of bacteria; uncountable kindnesses and small favors.

2. indefinitely large in number; infinite.

   the uncountable days of eternity.

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uncountable British  

/ ʌnˈkaʊntəbəl /

adjective

1. too many to be counted; innumerable

2. linguistics denoting a noun that does not refer to an isolable object See mass noun

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Etymology

Origin of uncountable

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at un- ¹, countable

Explanation

Things that are uncountable are too numerous to be calculated or added up, like the uncountable stars in the sky. Some things are clearly uncountable, like the infinite digits in the number pi or the blades of grass in your town park. There's literally no way you could possibly count them all. Other things could theoretically be tallied, but they're still uncountable — at least metaphorically. If you're totally overwhelmed by a huge surprise birthday party, the crowds of guests might seem uncountable, leaving you longing for a quiet celebration with your two best friends.

Example Sentences

He trained himself to anticipate what Trump might say by watching uncountable hours of Trump footage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

We rode every roller coaster in the day and the dark, ate uncountable clouds of cotton candy, and generally marveled at how clean everything was.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2024

Each rotifer can create between 348,000 - 366,000 per day, leading to uncountable swarms of nanoparticles in our environment.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2023

“The Soviet Union produced those bombs in uncountable numbers,” Zhdanov said, adding that the Russians drop up to 50 a day for a “major psychological effect.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 12, 2023

The term for this type of infinity was…, the first uncountable infinity.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife