intangibility

[ in-tan-juh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

1. the quality of not being tangible; inability to be perceived by the sense of touch:

   One debt cannot be measured, because of its intangibility—my debt to you all for your support of the project.

2. the quality of being unclear to the mind; vague or indefinite quality:

   Some writers stress the intangibility of the term “social movement” and seem almost happy to abandon any attempt to define it.

3. the quality of an asset that is not physical or financial, and often not measurable or transferable, but that contributes to the value of a business, such as reputation, patents, etc.:

   The intangibility of knowledge assets makes them difficult to license out to independent firms without loss of quality control.

Word History and Origins

Origin of intangibility¹

First recorded in 1840–50; intang(ible) ( def ) + -ibility ( def )

Example Sentences

“This intangibility merely points us to the real site of the novel: the deeply psychological conversations.”

From New York Times

That intangibility speaks to us in a way beyond words – and Rosso does that in the most fascinating way.

From The Guardian

Yet our interdependence is no less real for its intangibility.

From The Guardian

It’s got everything: extremes of wealth, goodies, baddies, the intangibility of beauty and desire, history, scholarship, mastery, you name it.

From New York Times

The story that unfolds has the intangibility of daydreams, the resonance of memories and the atmosphere of homemade documentaries.

From Los Angeles Times