intangible

American  

[in-tan-juh-buhl] / ɪnˈtæn dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.

2. not definite or clear to the mind.

   intangible arguments.

   Synonyms:

   fleeting, elusive, vague

3. (of an asset, such as reputation or a patent) not physical or financial, and often not measurable or transferable, but contributing to the value of a business.

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noun

1. something intangible, especially an intangible asset.

   Intangibles are hard to value.

intangible British  

/ ɪnˈtændʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being perceived by touch; impalpable

2. imprecise or unclear to the mind

   intangible ideas

3. (of property or a business asset) saleable though not possessing intrinsic productive value

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noun

1. something that is intangible

Other Word Forms

• intangibility noun
• intangibleness noun
• intangibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of intangible

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin intangibilis; in- ³ ( def. ), tangible ( def. )

Example Sentences

The girl’s spirit wavered in some intangible breeze.

From Literature

It also included training in intangible skills, she said: “How to walk into a room, how to own a room, how you’re projecting your posture and your voice.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, being asset-light means the balance sheets of many tech companies are stocked with intangible assets, including patents and licenses, rather than capital assets, such as factories or specialized equipment.

From MarketWatch

"But at the same time, we are stable, we are predictable. We are reliable and we are trusted, and these are intangible assets that others would die to have."

From BBC

As part of that, remember to include information about intangibles: how the employee is regarded by peers, what attitude he or she brings to the job, how proactive he or she is about handling tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ethereal
• unreal