Inexplicable Meaning
/ˌɪn.ɪkˈsplɪ.kə.bl̩/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjImpossible to explain; not easily accounted for.
nounSomething that is impossible to explain.
Sentence Examples
Poetry is a search for the inexplicable.
When anyone tries to explain the inexplicable, he is getting ready to excuse the inexcusable.
The disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle are inexplicable.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sudden disappearance of the airplane was ____ and puzzled investigators for years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For some ____ reason, the computer turned itself off and then back on again late last night.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English inexplicable, from Middle French inexplicable, from Latin inexplicābilis, from in- (“not”) + explicābilis (“explicable”). By surface analysis, in- + explicable.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten."
— 1873, Jules Verne, chapter I, in [anonymous], transl., Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas; […], James R. Osgood edition, Boston, Mass.: Geo[rge] M[urray] Smith & Co., →OCLC, part I, page 3:
"“No,” replied the girl, “it would not be strange, of course; but for some inexplicable reason I have one of those foolish feminine presentiments that all is not right with Mr. Caldwell. It is the strangest feeling—it is as though I knew that he was not on board the ship.”"
— 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 106:
"HEE [Cleanthes] left behind him (ſaith [Diogenes] Laertius) theſe excellent Books. […] Of Inexplicables."
— 1656, Tho[mas] Stanley, “[Cleanthes.] Chap[ter] III. His Writings.”, in The History of Philosophy, the Second Volume, volume II, London: […] Humphrey Moseley, and Thomas Dring: […], →OCLC, 8th part (Containing the Stoick Philosophers), pages 127–128:
"The premature passing of Bob Collins and the sadness it begets leave us in wonder. A man of vigor and vitality, compassion and concern, and a joyous contributor enhancing each new day is suddenly no more. Or is that also conjecture or gospel? Could it be that his departure is but a chapter in the imponderable mystery we long to comprehend? An inexplicable that cannot be perceived?"
— 2000, Wally Phillips, “Foreword”, in Vicki Quade, I Remember Bob Collins, Champaign, Ill.: Bannon Multimedia Group, →ISBN, page vi:
"Each clone acts as a huge, undivided tree, with its own time of flushing spring leaves, of turning yellow, and its own shade of yellow that can vary from lemon to salmon to an occasional sandy red, the color change defining the margins of each clone. The contrasting colors depend on variations in soil chemistry, slope exposure, genetic makeup, and a grab bag of inexplicables that bless trees, growing so closely that their upper branches may touch, with smartly different colors."
— 2001, Ann Zwinger, “Fall Colors, Gifts of Glory”, in Anthony Eaton Cook, Fall Colors across North America, Portland, Ore.: Graphic Arts Center Publishing, →ISBN, page 30:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sudden disappearance of the airplane was ____ and puzzled investigators for years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For some ____ reason, the computer turned itself off and then back on again late last night.