incomprehensible
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Impossible or very difficult to understand.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihngkahmpruhhehnsihbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪŋkɑmpɹəˈhɛnsɪbəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Impossible or very difficult to understand.
“The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"- A. Einstein.”
theology or literary
Which cannot be contained; boundless, infinite.
noun
Anything that is beyond understanding.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Impossible or very difficult to understand.
Used this way, incomprehensible is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"- A. Einstein.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use incomprehensible
- “The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"- A. Einstein.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Difficult to understand.
Difficult to understand.
Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom, or interpret.
Not decipherable; impossible to decode, read, understand or comprehend.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: impossible or very difficult to understand
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.