as in incredible
beyond the power to describe
an ineffable beauty descends upon the canyon as the sun begins to set
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Recent Examples of ineffable
Alien’s power lies in the ineffable terror of H.R. Giger’s toothy, phallic nightmare; the Xenomorph crawls deep into brain folds because its troubling shape is so difficult to grasp.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Its blend of casual weirdness and ineffable showmanship — watch Carson slyly turn discomfort into comedy — distills the essence of late night better than any marquee guest or recurring segment.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025
In fact, there’s something ineffable about the whole thing, something that can’t be explained with a formula.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Something of the experience remains afterward but the subtlety and beauty of the actual experience are ineffable.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American Statesman, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffable
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Its blend of casual weirdness and ineffable showmanship — watch Carson slyly turn discomfort into comedy — distills the essence of late night better than any marquee guest or recurring segment.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025
In fact, there’s something ineffable about the whole thing, something that can’t be explained with a formula.
—Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Something of the experience remains afterward but the subtlety and beauty of the actual experience are ineffable.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American Statesman, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineffable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ineffable
Adjective
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The final drive day sees guests back on the autobahn and up into the incredible views afforded along German Alpine Road.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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The batter is loaded up with apples that lend an incredible moistness to this rustic sheet cake.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Spike’s carry such a unique and indescribable feeling.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
15 Aug. 2025
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It’s been such a privilege to compete here, and to be in the final is just indescribable.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Or marry Selden, if you’re actually attracted to him, and endure the not-very-unspeakable fate of being merely upper middle class rather than super-rich.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
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All these artists are doing it for the right reasons — to raise money after this unspeakable tragedy.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Much like the famed British poets of World War I, who sought to express the inexpressible, Abu Toha strives to capture the unspeakable carnage, futility, and despair of war.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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Writing gives mothers the space and the time to express the inexpressible, even when the space and time do so are stolen away.—
Alice Vincent,
Vogue,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For all Sacks’ efforts to remain an indefinable cult figure outside the mainstream, he has lately been caught in Hollywood’s tractor beam, with several film scripts in advanced stages of development.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Aug. 2025
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This East Coast city earns high marks year after year for its various dining options, museums, and the indefinable, electric energy of the city that never sleeps.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Two high voices — LACO features soprano Amanda Forsythe and countertenor John Holiday — intertwine with the orchestra turning this hymn to the Virgin Mary’s suffering into unutterable sweetness and treating death as life’s engenderment.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2024
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In between loads of cartoonish ultraviolence and B-movie horror ephemera came some honestly unutterable lyrics, which Bill fought his faith to perform.—
Jonathan Rowe,
SPIN,
28 June 2022
Adjective
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And nothing is more isolating, more incommunicable, than the grief of a parent who has been unable to save their child’s life.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
31 Aug. 2022
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In a way, Tiffany’s rendering of fandom as specific and incommunicable risks undermining her premise, which has to do with the massed power of people online.—
Katy Waldman,
The New Yorker,
28 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ineffable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ineffable. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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