indescribable

/ˌɪndɪˈskraɪbəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪndɪˈskraɪbəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-di-ˈskrī-bə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

indescribable — adjective

  • indescribablepositive
  • more indescribablecomparative
  • most indescribablesuperlative

1. so intense — usually wonderfully good, deeply awful, or simply unlike anything e

1.形容詞C1
釋義

so intense — usually wonderfully good, deeply awful, or simply unlike anything else — that ordinary words cannot capture what it is like.

例句

Pim said the joy of holding her newborn daughter for the first time was indescribable.

predicative use after 'be' with abstract noun subject (joy, beauty, pain)

A strange, indescribable smell drifted out of the old wooden chest in the attic.

attributive use modifying a concrete noun, often paired with 'strange'

同義詞
  • inexpressible

    more formal; emphasises that words fail rather than that the thing is extreme

  • unspeakable

    strongly negative — used of horror, cruelty, loss; rarely positive

  • ineffable

    literary / philosophical; often used of mystical or spiritual experience

  • beyond words

    everyday phrase meaning the same thing; often used predicatively

反義詞
  • ordinary

    describes something that words can easily capture

  • describable

    rare in everyday use; mostly seen in academic writing

用法筆記

Almost always modifies an abstract noun (joy, pain, beauty, relief) or appears predicatively after 'be'. The speaker is signalling that the experience is at an emotional extreme, not literally that no description is possible — so a vivid scene usually follows.

常見錯誤

❌The meeting was indescribable.
✅The meeting was unforgettable.
💡'indescribable' marks an emotional extreme (overwhelmingly good or bad); a routine event sounds odd with it.
❌The food was indescribable delicious.
✅The food was indescribably delicious.
💡use the adverb 'indescribably' before another adjective; 'indescribable' is the adjective form.