incommensurable

IPA/ˌɪnkəˈmenʃərəbl/
IPA/ˌɪnkəˈmenʃərəbl/

incommensurable — 形容詞

  • incommensurablepositive
  • more incommensurablecomparative
  • most incommensurablesuperlative

1. Two or more things that are so different in type, quality, or nature that using

1.形容詞C1
釋義

無法比較

不能用同一標準衡量

Two or more things that are so different in type, quality, or nature that using the same rule or method to compare or judge them does not make sense.

例句

Linh felt that her passion for painting and her salary were incommensurable things.

Linh 覺得她對繪畫的熱情和她的薪水是無法比較的兩件事。

be + incommensurable + noun (comparing abstract vs concrete)

The two legal systems were so different that the judge called them incommensurable.

這兩個法律體系差異太大，法官認為兩者無法比較。

passive with 'so different that' pattern

同義詞
  • incomparable

    So good or extreme that nothing else matches; incommensurable focuses on the system of measurement being different, not on one thing being superior.

  • disparate

    Two things that are very different in kind; incommensurable adds the idea that no common measure exists at all.

  • unlike

    Everyday word for things that are not the same; incommensurable is much stronger and more formal.

反義詞
  • commensurable

    Able to be measured or compared using the same standard.

  • comparable

    Similar enough to be reasonably compared or judged.

  • equivalent

    Equal in value, amount, meaning, or importance.

文法句型

be + incommensurable

be + incommensurable + with + noun phrase

find + noun phrase + incommensurable

用法筆記

Commonly used in formal writing, philosophy, and academic discussions to compare systems of value that resist a single measuring scale. The preposition 'with' often follows: 'This framework is incommensurable with that one.'

常見錯誤

❌The two prices are incommensurable
✅The two sets of values are incommensurable
💡incommensurable is used for systems or categories, not for individual numbers that are simply different in size.
❌These theories are incommensurable with each other because they have no relation
✅These theories are incommensurable with each other because each uses a different set of assumptions
💡the word implies a fundamental difference in the rule used for comparison, not just lack of relation.