incalculable

IPA/ɪnˈkælkjələbl/
KK[ˌɪnkˈælkjələbəl]IPA/ɪnˈkælkjələbl/

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

常見搭配
  • incalculable damage
  • incalculable harm
  • incalculable loss
  • incalculable value
  • incalculable cost
  • incalculable wealth
  • incalculable suffering
  • 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.

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

常用片語

  • of incalculable value
  • do incalculable damage
  • cause incalculable harm

介系詞搭配