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Synonyms

incomprehensible

American  
[in-kom-pri-hen-suh-buhl, in-kom-] / ˌɪn kɒm prɪˈhɛn sə bəl, ɪnˌkɒm- /

adjective

  1. impossible to understand or comprehend; unintelligible.

    Synonyms:
    obscure, bewildering, baffling

  2. Archaic. limitless; not limited or capable of being limited.

incomprehensible British  
/ ɪnˌkɒm-, ˌɪnkɒmprɪˈhɛnsəbəl /

adjective

  1. incapable of being understood; unintelligible

  2. archaic limitless; boundless

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • incomprehensibility noun
  • incomprehensibleness noun
  • incomprehensibly adverb
  • superincomprehensible adjective
  • superincomprehensibleness noun
  • superincomprehensibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of incomprehensible

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word incomprehēnsibilis. See in- 3, comprehensible

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Back in the spring, he says, "a hamburger cost 5m rials. It is now 12m. The numbers are just incomprehensible".

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The artificial-intelligence investment theme can include a lot of hype about demand, colorful language about the future of work, incomprehensible descriptions of computing power, and technical jargon that would test even the nerdiest of experts.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

“We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony,” they said at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

As both the new “Vanderpump” and the still-shuttered “RHONY” suggest, viewers don’t come to Bravo’s programming for character archetypes and pervasive yet incomprehensible “drama.”

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025

The piece that completes the puzzle is string theory, according to which “the tally of possible universes stands at the almost incomprehensible 10500, a number so large it defies analogy.”

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.