ineffable
Advancedzipf 2.41Pronunciation
/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.Watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon filled her with ineffable wonder. (beyond words)
- 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