Meaning & use
inestimable
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounapproving
Too large or too valuable to be properly measured or judged.
Grammar: Mostly comes before a noun: inestimable value.
Patterns
- of inestimable value
- an inestimable help
The old letters are of inestimable value to historians.
Her advice was an inestimable help in the early years.
The museum holds artifacts of inestimable worth.
Common combinations
- inestimable value
- The library holds manuscripts of inestimable value.
- inestimable worth
- Her friendship is of inestimable worth.
- inestimable benefit
- Free education was an inestimable benefit to the town.
- inestimable loss
- His death was an inestimable loss to science.
- inestimable contribution
- He made an inestimable contribution to the project.
Synonyms and how they differ
- priceless
- Priceless is more common and often refers to things whose cost cannot be set, such as treasures.
- incalculable
- Incalculable stresses that the amount cannot be counted, and can be negative as in damage.
- immeasurable
- Immeasurable is closer in meaning but slightly more everyday and used for size as well as value.
- invaluable
- Invaluable means extremely useful, with less emphasis on being beyond measurement.
Opposites
Word family
- inestimably adverb
- to a degree that cannot be measured
- estimate verb
- to judge roughly the amount or value
- estimable adjective
- worthy of respect
- estimation noun
- a judgment of value
Commonly confused: inestimable or estimable? inestimable or invaluable?
inestimable vs estimable
Estimable means deserving respect, while inestimable means too great to measure; the in- does not simply reverse estimable.
inestimable vs invaluable
Invaluable means very useful, whereas inestimable means beyond measurement.
Practice
The donated paintings were described as being of ___ value to the nation.
Choose one answer.
Inestimable means too great to measure. Negligible means very small, the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inestimable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.