indefinable

[ in-di-fahy-nuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not definable; not readily identified, described, analyzed, or determined.

noun

1. something that cannot be defined:

   the indefinables of great musicianship.

indefinable

/ ˌɪndɪˈfaɪnəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being defined or analysed

   there was an indefinable sense of terror

Derived Forms

• ˌindeˈfinably, adverb
• ˌindeˈfinableness, noun

Other Words From

• inde·fina·ble·ness noun
• inde·fina·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of indefinable¹

First recorded in 1800–10; in- ³ + definable ( def )

Example Sentences

Developed by Bruce Timm, whose mid-’90s “Batman: The Animated Series” was also something of a throwback, featuring Batman and Robin in their classic gear and a chronologically indefinable mise-en-scene.

From Los Angeles Times

Patinkin, in an indefinable accent, is his usual Big Presence, but Beane holds her own, and the arrival of Linda Emond as Interpol agent Hilde Eriksen pays constant comic dividends.

From Los Angeles Times

A certain indefinable, know-it-when-you-hear-it sense of reverence and good cheer?

From New York Times

Fellow judge Michael Angus added: "It was that indefinable thing, that lifted the Old Train up above the rest. Some curious blend of components, of building, fabric, place, time, that come together somehow, to imbue a home with a certain overall quality that is truly, home."

From BBC

When it’s completely indefinable, it exists as a cloud.

From Los Angeles Times