impalpable

IPA/ɪmˈpælpəbl/
IPA/ɪmˈpælpəbl/

impalpable — adjective

  • impalpablepositive
  • more impalpablecomparative
  • most impalpablesuperlative

1. so slight, subtle, or fine that the body cannot feel it through touch or the min

1.形容詞C1
釋義

so slight, subtle, or fine that the body cannot feel it through touch or the mind cannot fully grasp or understand it

例句

Lien rubbed the fine powder but found it impalpable — her skin felt nothing.

physical touch — describing something too fine to feel

An impalpable mist hung over the fields just before sunrise that morning.

同義詞
  • imperceptible

    stronger emphasis on being completely undetectable by the senses; slightly more common in scientific writing

  • intangible

    more often used for abstract things that cannot be touched at all, rather than things too fine to feel

  • elusive

    focuses on something that escapes the mind or memory despite efforts to grasp it

  • subtle

    less extreme than impalpable — suggests faintness rather than complete undetectability; much more common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • palpable

    direct opposite — describes something that can be clearly felt or understood

  • tangible

    refers to something solid enough to touch or hold, either physically or mentally

  • obvious

    common-language alternative for the mental/abstract sense

文法句型

be + impalpable

impalpable + noun

用法筆記

Frequent in formal or literary contexts. Can describe both physical substances too fine to be felt (powder, mist, dust) and abstract qualities too subtle for the mind to grasp (sadness, change, difference).

常見錯誤

❌The stone was impalpable.
✅The stone felt smooth, nearly impalpable under the fingers.
💡impalpable describes something too fine or slight to be felt, not something hard. A stone can be felt easily even if smooth.