ineffable

Advancedzipf 2.41

Pronunciation

/ɪnˈɛfəbəl/(in-EF-uh-bul)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

难以言表的;不可名状的

Definition

Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.

Word family

  • ineffably/ɪnˈɛfəbli/(adv)难以言表地
  • ineffability/ɪnˌɛfəˈbɪlɪti/(n)不可言喻

Collocations

  • ineffable beauty
  • ineffable joy
  • ineffable sadness
  • ineffable mystery

Examples

  1. 1.Watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon filled her with ineffable wonder. (beyond words)
  2. 2.There was an ineffable quality about his music that moved audiences to tears. (indescribable)

Synonyms

  • indescribable/ˌɪndɪˈskraɪbəbəl/cannot be described
  • inexpressible/ˌɪnɪkˈsprɛsɪbəl/cannot be expressed
  • transcendent/trænˈsɛndənt/surpassing ordinary experience

Etymology

from Latin "ineffabilis" — in- (not) + effabilis (utterable) — "effari" = to speak out — not speakable