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untranslatable

American  
[uhn-tranz-lay-tuh-buhl, -trans-] / ˌʌn trænzˈleɪ tə bəl, -træns- /

adjective

  1. having a meaning, message, or effect that cannot be translated into another language.


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.

This combination can give a better sense of the untranslatable meaning of the word; the wrapping of your arms around someone to make them feel safe.

From BBC • Jul. 18, 2024

I think there’s a kind of quiet beauty in leaving some things untranslatable, and just sitting beside someone with very different value systems and understanding, “This is what gives you joy.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2023

The bulk of what we say is nonverbal, untranslatable to texts.

From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2020

Tsundoku is such a relatable but untranslatable concept that it regularly re-enters our Western consciousness through online articles.

From Slate • Sep. 10, 2018

Their crowns entwined and crisscrossed and whispered with rain, and bowed and shifted as troops of monkeys passed through them like currents of wind, leaping from crown to crown, crying their untranslatable cries.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston