1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inscrutable
My personal favorites are the more inscrutable pieces like the Black Cat Tips mural on Charlotte Avenue.
—
Adam Tamburin, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
Shout out to Armisen for his inscrutable Eastern European staccato accent as Welk, and to Anne Hathaway as the ideal lead of this sister act.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
The numbers were completely opaque and inscrutable to human eyes.
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
But his expression is inscrutable.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Adam Tamburin, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
Shout out to Armisen for his inscrutable Eastern European staccato accent as Welk, and to Anne Hathaway as the ideal lead of this sister act.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
The numbers were completely opaque and inscrutable to human eyes.
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
But his expression is inscrutable.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
-
Apart is on its way — and has quite the mysterious cover to match.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Their work is a search for meaning—an attempt to make sense of mysterious signs.—
Nicolás Medina Mora,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But the scene itself could be read as a little ambiguous, too: is Sammie trying to pierce the veil again, playing a song that could both foster community but also bring back the vampires?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
As the days turned into weeks, the reality of her situation remained ambiguous.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Generally, when a player makes a cryptic social media post ...—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But his recitation of Black Americans’ names also revealed that they were heavily weighted toward athletes and performers like Jackie Robinson and Aretha Franklin (on a list that includes relatively obscure conservative white thinkers such as Whittaker Chambers and Clare Boothe Luce).—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
-
That included obscure cold opens and immersive world-building.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These enigmatic paintings are inspired by Edvard Munch and William Blake: After Munch: Less is Known than People Think, 2023, and After Blake: Less is Known than People Think, 2024, in which astronomy, history and geography cross paths with spirituality, according to the artist.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Other notable roles for Chastain include playing astronaut Melissa Lewis in The Martian, the enigmatic Murph in Interstellar and real-life figure Molly Bloom in Molly’s Game.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, Cindy Bi, has developed a reputation for her uncanny ability to spot unicorns early, backing 14 billion dollar companies, 12 of them from seed stage.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Green Day has the uncanny ability to make every song sound like a hit, regardless of its initial impact.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Editor’s tip: Niacinamide is a multitasker that blurs the look of dark spots, evens your skin tone, and balances your complexion.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
-
And so by some sociologists, camp is thought to be this form of dark humor serving as a coping mechanism to historical marginalization.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Those attributed to Jesus—described in language nearly identical to accounts of the Greek mystic and holy man Apollonius of Tyana, say—are neither more nor less convincing than others.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Founded on the ethos of art as a form of mystic healing, the label reimagines the family heirloom—and invites its patrons to examine their relationship with objects.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share