incomprehensible en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɪnˌkɑmpɹəˈhɛnsɪb(ə)l/ (US)
- /ɪnˌkɒmpɹɪˈhɛnsɪb(ə)l/ (UK)
- (US) audio
- /ɪŋˌkɒmpɹɪˈhɛnsɪb(ə)l/ (UK)
- /ɪŋˌkɑmpɹəˈhɛnsɪb(ə)l/ (US)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *gʰnédti Proto-Italic *hendō Proto-Italic *praiɣendō Latin prehendō Latin comprehendō Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin comprehēnsibilis Latin incomprehēnsibilisbor. Middle French incomprehensibleder. English incomprehensible From Middle French incomprehensible, from Latin incomprehēnsibilis. Equivalent to in- + comprehensible.
Meanings
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Impossible or very difficult to understand.
In the empty immensity of earth, sky, and water, there she was, incomprehensible, firing into a continent.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 196:Trump’s grotesque and incomprehensible fondness for Putin makes the details of any deal highly dangerous for Europe and the NATO alliance, founded to confront Russia.
2024 November 9, Nick Paton Walsh, “Trump’s second term could bring chaos around the world. Will it work?”, in CNN:But this inference, which is supported by the opening of Book I, renders incomprehensible the note "and I have finished writing this," which is included within the dream.
1904-09, Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth, published 1962He shook his head. 'It's not only undefined, it's incomprehensible. Even the QL is befuddled by it and can't give me straight answers.'
1990, Greg Bear, Heads:
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(literary) Which cannot be contained; boundless, infinite.
Prayer to God the Father: It is fitting and right to sing to You, to bless You, to praise You, to give thanks to You, to worship You in every place of your dominion: for You are God, beyond description, beyond understanding, invisible, incomprehensible, always existing, always the same; You and your only-begotten Son and your Holy Spirit
1969, “The Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom: Liturgy of Offering”, in Joseph Raya, transl., edited by José de Vinck, Byzantine Daily Worship, Alleluia Press, page 282:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most incomprehensible | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more incomprehensible | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
understandable · comprehensible
Deriveds
incomprehensibleness · incomprehensibly
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Relateds
opaque · it's all Chinese to me · turbid · incomprehension · confusing · it's all Greek to me · indescribable
Synonyms
impenetrable · mysterious · insensible · retruse · incomprehensible · unfathomable · incognizable · undecipherable · inapprehensible · tenebrose · bottomless · unknowable · ununderstandable · Greek · inexplicable · inenubilable · insolvable · enigmatic · inscrutable · nonunderstandable · Chinese · unintelligible · obscure · ungraspable · unexplainable · thick · abstruse · fathomless · undiscoverable · ineffable · dense · insoluble
Translations (55)
ka გონებისთვის მიუწვდომელი (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ru невразуми́тельный (impossible or very difficult to understand) · cmn 費解的 /费解的 (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ru непостижи́мый (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ru непоня́тный (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ka გაუგებარი (impossible or very difficult to understand) · bg непонятен (impossible or very difficult to understand) · de unverständlich (impossible or very difficult to understand) · pdt onbejrieplich (impossible or very difficult to understand) · es incomprensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · fi siansaksa (impossible or very difficult to understand) · gd do-thuigsinneach (impossible or very difficult to understand) · pt incompreensível (impossible or very difficult to understand) · sv obegriplig (impossible or very difficult to understand) · id yg tdk dpt dimengerti (impossible or very difficult to understand) · nl onbegrijpelijk (impossible or very difficult to understand) · bg неразбираем (impossible or very difficult to understand) · cmn 難以理解的 /难以理解的 (impossible or very difficult to understand) · cs nesrozumitelný (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hy անհասկանալի (impossible or very difficult to understand) · el ακαταλαβίστικος (impossible or very difficult to understand) · uk незрозумі́лий (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hu felfoghatatlan (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ca incomprensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · es incomprehensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · fi käsittämätön (impossible or very difficult to understand) · fi ei ymmärrettävä (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hi अकल्पनीय (impossible or very difficult to understand) · az anlaşılmaz (impossible or very difficult to understand) · grc ἀκατάληπτος (impossible or very difficult to understand) · tr anlaşılmaz (impossible or very difficult to understand) · nb ubegripelig (impossible or very difficult to understand) · tl di-matingkala (impossible or very difficult to understand) · da ubegribelig (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ja 不可解な (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hi कल्पनातीत (impossible or very difficult to understand) · gl incomprensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · sv ofattbar (impossible or very difficult to understand) · nb ubefattelig (impossible or very difficult to understand) · be незразуме́лы (impossible or very difficult to understand) · nn ubegripeleg (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hu érthetetlen (impossible or very difficult to understand) · hu megfoghatatlan (impossible or very difficult to understand) · el ακατανόητος (impossible or very difficult to understand) · de unbegreiflich (impossible or very difficult to understand) · it incomprensibile (impossible or very difficult to understand) · da uforståelig (impossible or very difficult to understand) · oc incompreensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · id tdk terpahamkan (impossible or very difficult to understand) · fi heprea (impossible or very difficult to understand) · sq pakuptueshëm (impossible or very difficult to understand) · pl niezrozumiały (impossible or very difficult to understand) · de unfassbar (impossible or very difficult to understand) · fr incompréhensible (impossible or very difficult to understand) · ja 理解できない (impossible or very difficult to understand)