incommensurable

[ in-kuh-men-ser-uh-buhl, -sher- ]

adjective

1. not commensurable; having no common basis, measure, or standard of comparison.
2. utterly disproportionate.
3. Mathematics. (of two or more quantities) having no common measure.

noun

1. something that is incommensurable.
2. Mathematics. one of two or more incommensurable quantities.

incommensurable

/ ˌɪnkəˈmɛnʃərəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being judged, measured, or considered comparatively
2. postpositivefoll bywith not in accordance; incommensurate
3. maths
   1. (of two numbers) having an irrational ratio
   2. not having units of the same dimension
   3. unrelated to another measurement by integral multiples

noun

1. something incommensurable

Derived Forms

• ˌincomˌmensuraˈbility, noun
• ˌincomˈmensurably, adverb

Other Words From

• incom·mensu·ra·bili·ty incom·mensu·ra·ble·ness noun
• incom·mensu·ra·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of incommensurable¹

From the Late Latin word incommēnsūrābilis, dating back to 1550–60. See in- ³, commensurable

Example Sentences

Over and over, videos emerged, revealing how often police narratives were incommensurable with what actually happened.

From New York Times

It would be naive not to acknowledge that there is an incommensurable issue at the base of all of this.

From Washington Post

In fact, no matter how tiny you make the bits, it is impossible to choose a common yardstick that will measure both the side and the diagonal perfectly: the diagonal is incommensurable with the side.

From Literature

As a consequence of the vanishing point, artists found themselves living simultaneously in two incommensurable worlds.

From Literature

As the late philosopher Lawrence Becker proclaimed, “autonomous human lives have a dignity that is immeasurable, incommensurable, infinite, beyond price.”

From Scientific American

Related Words

• disparate
• dissimilar
• distinct
• divergent
• unalike
• unlike
• unsimilar