Word
incomprehensible
Phoneticsin·com·pre·hen·si·ble
US/ˌɪŋˌkɑmpɹəˈhɛnsɪbəɫ/
UK/ɪnkˌɒmpɹɪhˈɛnsəbəl/
Definition
adj. impossible or very difficult to understand. You use this when someone's speech, writing, or actions make no sense to you.
adj. impossible to understand or grasp mentally. Often used to describe complex language, abstract concepts, or irrational behavior.
Examples
“His handwriting is completely incomprehensible.”
“The legal document was written in such dense jargon that it was incomprehensible to the average reader.”
“To the uninitiated observer, the intricate rituals of the remote tribe appeared entirely incomprehensible, yet they were governed by a strict internal logic passed down through generations.”
Examples
simple
“His handwriting is completely incomprehensible.”
contextual
“The legal document was written in such dense jargon that it was incomprehensible to the average reader.”
complex
“To the uninitiated observer, the intricate rituals of the remote tribe appeared entirely incomprehensible, yet they were governed by a strict internal logic passed down through generations.”
Usage
Often follows a linking verb like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'; frequently modified by adverbs of degree like 'totally' or 'utterly'.
Real-World Examples
“Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin also appealed for calm, but he said he found the original decision by the Parades Commission to approve the march "incomprehensible and wrong".” “As a kid, he preferred playing Fifa Street – where ordinary players backflip off walls to score incomprehensible bicycle kicks – to regular realistic Fifa.” Etymology
From Middle French incomprehensible, from Latin incomprehensibilis. Equivalent to in- + comprehensible.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/incomprehensible