incomprehensible
/ɪnˌkɒmprɪˈhensəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˌkɑːmprɪˈhensəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl/ (ame, mw)
incomprehensible — adjective
- incomprehensiblepositive
- more incomprehensiblecomparative
- most incomprehensiblesuperlative
1. so unclear or strange that you cannot make sense of it, even after trying — for
so unclear or strange that you cannot make sense of it, even after trying — for example, a thick legal document, a friend's sudden anger, or instructions written in a language you do not know.
The terms of the insurance contract were incomprehensible to Baraka without a lawyer's help.
incomprehensible to [someone] pattern
Dewi found the maths professor's lecture on quantum physics completely incomprehensible.
Why Esme suddenly quit her dream job remains incomprehensible to her closest friends.
The handwritten notes in the old diary were almost incomprehensible after a hundred years.
Feng's shouts over the loud music were incomprehensible to the waiter taking his order.
- unintelligible
near-synonym; emphasises speech or writing that cannot be deciphered
- baffling
puzzling rather than impossible to grasp; softer
- impenetrable
stronger; suggests dense or deliberately obscure material
- comprehensible
the direct opposite — able to be understood
- clear
everyday opposite; covers both speech and writing
文法句型
incomprehensible to [someone]
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'to [someone]' naming who fails to understand. Subjects are commonly abstract — speech, writing, decisions, behaviour — rather than physical objects.