1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inscrutable
There is plenty of commentary, even among users of other platforms, about how Threads is bloodless (and owned by Mark Zuckerberg), Mastodon is inscrutable, and Bluesky is humorless.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
The man simply commands the screen as inscrutable Lumon Deputy Manager Seth Milchick.
—EW.com, 18 July 2025
Exactly why a series is successful can be an inscrutable thing, but some mixture of Squid Game’s grotesquerie, watchability, and class-war ideology made it so.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 June 2025
For now, this volcanic orb remains maddeningly inscrutable.
—Robin Andrews, Wired News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
The man simply commands the screen as inscrutable Lumon Deputy Manager Seth Milchick.
—EW.com, 18 July 2025
Exactly why a series is successful can be an inscrutable thing, but some mixture of Squid Game’s grotesquerie, watchability, and class-war ideology made it so.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 June 2025
For now, this volcanic orb remains maddeningly inscrutable.
—Robin Andrews, Wired News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
-
Years after gaining superpowers from being bombarded by cosmic rays in space, the astronauts-turned-superheroes face a new threat when the mysterious Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), heralds the coming of the world-devouring Galactus (Ralph Ineson).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
-
More Miguel Rodriguez/Getty Images What's so mysterious about a team playing well?—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Automate routine monitoring, but require cross-functional review for ambiguous or high-impact alerts, providing clear explanations.—
Dr. Chiranjiv Roy,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
At times, though, there’s nothing ambiguous or veiled in his work.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Whether the pair will do more to promote the album than share cryptic corresponding Instagram posts remains to be seen.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
-
Young engineers face a steep learning curve with cryptic interfaces and minimal documentation.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
People usually think of investigative reporting as relying on obscure documents and dry financial data.—
Jane Mayer,
New Yorker,
3 Aug. 2025
-
Greer's statement comes a day after the government argued before an 11 judge panel at the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals that Trump's authority to make wholesale changes to tariff rates stems from an obscure trade law known as IEEPA.—
Dan Mangan,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,Sophie Kiderlin,Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This newest version sets the film in Paris where Albert (Damien Bonnard) is tracking the enigmatic perpetrator of his daughter’s murder through a human trafficking ring known as The Circle.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
New satellite imagery has surfaced showing China's enigmatic new landing barges—vessels believed to have been designed to support large-scale amphibious assaults, such as a potential invasion of Taiwan.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
With his strange machines and an uncanny, intuitive understanding of muscles, Joseph Pilates created a new technique for improving strength and movement.—
Alma Guillermoprieto,
The New York Review of Books,
31 July 2025
-
The uncanny aspects of the film, first seen in a prologue in which a pair of search dogs becomes abnormally obsessed with each other after venturing into the cavern, initially manifest for Millie and Tim as a strange stickiness.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
This was courtesy of the changing wind direction, which picked up in strength as a few dark clouds gathered near the circuit, with some drivers even reporting a sprinkling of rain as Q2 got underway.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Sophie's gun — which was an impulse buy just a few days back — is found and identified as the weapon that killed Abby. Sophie's quest to vindicate herself then leads to the unraveling of dark secrets, sketchy relationships, twisted small-town politics and more.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
For a woman who devotes herself to God is a mystic, whereas a woman who lusts after a mortal man is a fool.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
-
The man from Osaka’s right arm is almost mystic, like one of California’s solemn redwoods.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share