1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inscrutable
That's depicted in a disturbing, if somewhat inscrutable, scene.
—
Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
The story’s inscrutable moments even take on a sort of beauty.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Hailee Steinfeld leads the ensemble cast as Anna, whose motives become more inscrutable as the story unfolds.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film’s Cannes reception was a bit inscrutable, but Lawrence playing a young mother battling psychosis is a tempting bit of awards bait.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
The story’s inscrutable moments even take on a sort of beauty.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Hailee Steinfeld leads the ensemble cast as Anna, whose motives become more inscrutable as the story unfolds.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film’s Cannes reception was a bit inscrutable, but Lawrence playing a young mother battling psychosis is a tempting bit of awards bait.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
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Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks, the movie tells the story of a couple, played by American actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco, who move to the countryside to save their relationship and encounter a mysterious force that draws them closer.—
Peter Guo,
NBC news,
25 Sep. 2025
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As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander's iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Total repatriations When examining total repatriations — people returned to their country of origin — a more ambiguous picture emerges.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
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Whereas many tech deals are conducted in equity of ambiguous value, this one was done in cold, hard cash, though the product itself is by no means a sure bet.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While filming season 3 of Special Forces, Bachelorette alum Trista Sutter's husband, Ryan Sutter, shared a cryptic Instagram post about her being gone, which sparked speculation about their relationship status.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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At some point, though, meaning that is sufficiently cryptic becomes indistinguishable from no meaning at all.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The agency said the company relied on confusing interfaces and obscure disclosures.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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But overall, the popularity of different computer languages could become as obscure a topic as the relative popularity of railway track gauges.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Chalmers research group has now provided a detailed account of a previously enigmatic phase of formamidinium lead iodide.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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For a planet already famous for its beauty and mysteries, Saturn just became even more enigmatic.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Joanna Gaines has an uncanny ability to make anything beautiful.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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Contortionism has been a fundamental cultural expression in Mongolia since the 12th century, and in this work Khuyagaa intertwines a celebration of this heritage with her interest in the female body, beauty, and the uncanny.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Attendees can also expect kid-friendly activities, including hair braiding, glow-in-the-dark face painting, accessory booths, photo booths, and giant inflatable mascots on the dance floor.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
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Atop her dress, Carey opted for a long-sleeve dark leather jacket with a cropped design and edgy zipper closure.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In Completedworks’ spring 2026 presentation, the Texan actor and model took the stage as Miss Edie Grey, a television clairvoyant and mystic extraordinaire that can trace the history of objects with her magical touch.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
20 Sep. 2025
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Yet Blanc’s real faith lies in the nearly mystic quality involved in seeing what the human animal is capable of.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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