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ineffable

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Dictionary: in·ef·fa·ble   (ĭn-ĕf'ə-bəl) pronunciation
 
adj.
  1. Incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable. See synonyms at unspeakable.
  2. Not to be uttered; taboo: the ineffable name of God.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ineffābilis : in-, not; see in–1 + effābilis, utterable (from effārī, to utter : ex-, ex- + fārī, to speak).]

ineffability in·ef'fa·bil'i·ty or in·ef'fa·ble·ness n.
ineffably in·ef'fa·bly adv.
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Thesaurus: ineffable
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adjective

    That cannot be described: incommunicable, indefinable, indescribable, inexpressible, undescribable, unspeakable, unutterable. Idioms: beyond description, defying description. See words.

 
Antonyms: ineffable
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adj

Definition: too great for words
Antonyms: definable, describable, utterable


 
Philosophy Dictionary: ineffable
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That which is particular to an experience, and cannot be communicated. It is sometimes thought that the precise feels of particular qualia of experience are ineffable. The other examples of philosophical interest are the states of mind achieved in mystical ecstasy, which are often felt to be especially revelatory of the true nature of the world, but also incommunicable. However the notion of an incommunicable content is commonly regarded with grave suspicion, on the grounds that genuine content involves the recognition of something; that this requires the application of rules; but rules must be public and communicable. See also private language argument, rule-following considerations.

 
Obscure Words: ineffable
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unspeakable, indescribable  (see also inenarrable)
 
Word Tutor: ineffable
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Incapable of being expressed in words.

pronunciation I saw the dance as a vision of ineffable power. A man could, with dignity and a towering majesty, dance. — José Limón, Mexican dancer & choreographer.

 
Translations: Ineffable
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - usigelig, uudsigelig, ubeskrivelig

Nederlands (Dutch)
onzegbaar, onuitspreekbaar

Français (French)
adj. - (Relig) ineffable, inexprimable

Deutsch (German)
adj. - unnennbar, unsagbar

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - άφατος, ανείπωτος, απερίγραπτος

Italiano (Italian)
ineffabile

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - inefável

Русский (Russian)
невыразимый, святой

Español (Spanish)
adj. - inefable

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - outsäglig, obeskrivlig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
无法形容的, 不应说出的, 说不出的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 無法形容的, 不應說出的, 說不出的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 이루 말 할 수 없는, 신성한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 言いようのない, 口にすべきでない

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) يفوق الوصف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נפלא, שאין להביעו במלים, בל-יתואר‬


 
 

Did you mean: ineffable, Ineffability

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ineffableness
Jah (in the Old Testament)
Jehovah (in the Old Testament, Judaism)

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Philosophy Dictionary. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright © 1994, 1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
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