incalculable

/ɪnˈkælkjələbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈkælkjələbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈkal-kyə-lə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

incalculable — 形容詞

  • incalculablepositive
  • more incalculablecomparative
  • most incalculablesuperlative

1. so vast in size, value, or effect that no figure could possibly capture it — use

1.形容詞C1
釋義

難以估計

因規模或價值太大而無法計算

so vast in size, value, or effect that no figure could possibly capture it — used when something feels beyond any sensible attempt at counting or estimating, such as the worth of a lost manuscript or the harm done by a long war.

例句

The flood caused incalculable damage to the rice fields around Tanvi's village.

那場洪水對 Tanvi 村莊周圍的稻田造成難以估計的損害。

attributive: incalculable + abstract noun (damage)

Felipe argued that the old library held books of incalculable value to historians.

Felipe 主張那座舊圖書館收藏著對歷史學家而言難以估計的珍貴書籍。

collocation: of incalculable value

同義詞
  • immeasurable

    near-synonym; slightly more formal, often about emotional weight (immeasurable grief)

  • untold

    common in journalism; emphasises the hidden or unreported scale (untold suffering)

  • vast

    much more everyday; describes size without the 'beyond counting' nuance

  • countless

    for discrete items that simply have no fixed number (countless stars), not for abstract loss

反義詞
  • negligible

    implies the amount is small enough to ignore

  • measurable

    neutral opposite — a figure can be put on it

  • trivial

    evaluative: not just small but not worth attention

文法句型

incalculable + noun

be + incalculable

用法筆記

Almost always attached to abstract or mass nouns of harm, loss, value, or quantity (damage, harm, loss, value, wealth, suffering, cost). Avoid with small or easily countable things — 'incalculable apples' sounds wrong because apples can be counted, even if the number is large.

常見錯誤

❌There were incalculable apples in the basket.
✅There were countless apples in the basket.
💡'incalculable' suggests the figure is beyond meaningful measurement, so it sits awkwardly on small, easily counted objects; use 'countless' or 'numerous' instead.
❌The film won incalculable awards last year.
✅The film won an incalculable number of fans.
💡awards are listed and counted, so 'incalculable' rings false; pair it with mass abstractions like value, harm, or numbers of people.