Meaning & use
ineffable
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Too powerful, holy, deep, or extreme to be described fully in words.
Grammar: Usually before a noun or after be: ineffable joy; the beauty was ineffable.
Patterns
- ineffable joy
- ineffable sadness
- an ineffable experience
She felt an ineffable calm as the rescue boat reached shore.
The cathedral left visitors with an ineffable sense of awe.
Some experiences of loss are too raw and ineffable for quick explanation.
Common combinations
- ineffable joy
- The new parents described an ineffable joy when they first held their child.
- ineffable beauty
- Photographs rarely capture the ineffable beauty of the desert at dawn.
- ineffable sadness
- There was an ineffable sadness in the empty house after the move.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indescribable
- Indescribable is more everyday and simply means hard to describe; ineffable is stronger and more elevated.
- inexpressible
- Inexpressible emphasizes that feelings cannot be put into words, often personal emotion.
- unspeakable
- Unspeable can mean too terrible to speak of, so it may carry horror rather than sacred wonder.
- beyond words
- This phrase is conversational; ineffable is a single formal adjective with a similar idea.
Opposites
Word family
- ineffably adverb
- In a way that cannot be expressed in words.
- ineffability noun
- The quality of being beyond adequate expression.
Commonly confused: ineffable or inaudible? ineffable or ineffective?
ineffable vs inaudible
Inaudible means too quiet to hear; ineffable means too deep or sacred to express.
ineffable vs ineffective
Ineffective means not producing results; the spelling and meaning differ.
Practice
Which sentence best matches “ineffable”?
Choose one answer.
Ineffable describes a feeling too deep for words. The other choices confuse it with hearing, repairing, or add an odd degree.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ineffable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.