First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
inscrutable
adjective in·scru·ta·ble \in-ˈskrü-tə-bəl\
: difficult to understand : causing people to feel curious or confused
Full Definition of INSCRUTABLE
: not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious <an inscrutable smile> <inscrutable motives>
— in·scru·ta·bil·i·ty \-ˌskrü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun
— in·scru·ta·ble·ness \-ˈskrü-tə-bəl-nəs\ noun
— in·scru·ta·bly \-blē\ adverb
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Examples of INSCRUTABLE
- Of all the myths that have grown up around Alan Greenspan, the most powerful is the idea that he's willfully inscrutable. —James Surowiecki, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2001
- That wily politicians might adopt Franklin's distinction between appearance and reality to become inscrutable confidence men did not seem to trouble him. —John H. Summers, Journal of American History, December 2000
- Supersymmetry is a magic mirror, and everything in what we imagine to be the real world has its ghostly, inscrutable mirror image. —Ian Stewart, Prospect, September 2003
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Origin of INSCRUTABLE
Middle English, from Late Latin inscrutabilis, from Latin in- + scrutari to search — more at scrutiny
Related to INSCRUTABLE
- Synonyms
- arcane, cryptic, deep, enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, mysterious, mystic, occult, uncanny
- Antonyms
- accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal
Rhymes with INSCRUTABLE
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