unknowable
adjective
not knowable; incapable of being known or understood.
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unknowable
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Unknowable
Unknowablenounphilosophy the ultimate reality that underlies all phenomena but cannot be known
unknowable
American
[uhn-noh-uh-buhl]
/ ʌnˈnoʊ ə bəl /
adjective
noun
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something that is unknowable.
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the Unknowable, the postulated reality lying behind all phenomena but not cognizable by any of the processes by which the mind cognizes phenomenal objects.
unknowable
1
British
/ ʌnˈnəʊəbəl /
adjective
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incapable of being known or understood
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beyond human understanding
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( as noun )
the unknowable
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Unknowable
2
British
/ ʌnˈnəʊəbəl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unknowable
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at un- 1, knowable
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.
See Examples For:
Its chief ambition is endurance: it must survive transit, uncertain demand and an unknowable stretch between gates.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
One of his colleagues' frustrations with him has always been that he seems unknowable.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Large language models are an immature technology, and engineering improvements for specialized data centers should be expected—but how big they are and when they come is unknowable in advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
He isn’t unknowable at all—and it’s crucial to understand what led up to his greater project on the Supreme Court.
From Slate ● May 13, 2026
To Tristran, then, they seemed as distant and unknowable as the world of the Arabian Nights.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Unknowable and terrifying, the workings of the mind can feel like a supernatural force.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2022
Unknowable today is whether E.U. policymakers will stick with their program or undercut the policy when prices start to rise, as they have in the past.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 18, 2021
Unknowable — so no need to judge too harshly.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2017
Hardoon's topic--tonight and every Thursday, to packed classes--is how to align oneself with "the Light," the never-ending mystical emanation of the Unknowable God, Ein Sof.
From Time Magazine Archive
Unknowable, un-nō′a-bl, adj. incapable of being known.—n. that which cannot be known, the first or original cause: that which is cognisable only in its relations.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
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.
