inexpressible

American  

[in-ik-spres-uh-buhl] / ˌɪn ɪkˈsprɛs ə bəl /

adjective

1. not expressible; incapable of being uttered or described in words.

   a scene of inexpressible beauty.

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noun

1. Archaic. inexpressibles, trousers; pants.

inexpressible British  

/ ˌɪnɪkˈsprɛsəbəl /

adjective

1. too great, etc, to be expressed or uttered; indescribable

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Other Word Forms

• inexpressibility noun
• inexpressibleness noun
• inexpressibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of inexpressible

First recorded in 1615–25; in- ³ + expressible ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Happy Place” is funny at points, but it is also the closest that Henry has come to writing an old-school melodrama, a heart-rending plot that struggles to express the inexpressible.

From Washington Post • Apr. 23, 2023

Like those pilots, in Vietnam I connected and cried with people I'd never met, people who live on the other side of the world and who endured inexpressible suffering.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2022

And we were all sustained there with a savour inexpressible which satisfied us.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2019

All of us who worked with Paul feel an inexpressible loss today.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2018

Numberless and inexpressible frustrations combined to make his rage elemental and awe-inspiring.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding