Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Impossible to express.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not expressible; incapable of being expressed; that cannot be uttered or represented in words; unspeakable; unutterable: as, inexpressible grief or joy.
- Synonyms Unspeakable, indescribable, ineffable.
- Trousers; “unmentionables.”
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not capable of expression or utterance in language; ineffable; unspeakable; indescribable; unutterable.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Unable to be
expressed .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective defying expression
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music
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After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music
A Progressive on the Prairie » Musing Mondays: Music » Print 2009
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"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music" -- Aldous Huxley;
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Then she went on, no longer afraid of anything that could happen to herself, but in inexpressible terror of what might have happened to her father.
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I saw Margaret's delight, too, shewn by every quick and thoughtful movement that could be of any service to me, and by a certain inexpressible air of deliverance which sat on her, I cannot tell how, from her bonnet down to her shoes.
Daisy 1868
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The day of the 8th was passed by Lady Harriet and her companions in inexpressible anxiety: not a tent, not a shed was standing, except what belonged to the hospital: their refuge was among the wounded and the dying.
Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799
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The day of the 8th was passed by Lady Harriet and her companions in inexpressible anxiety: not a tent, not a shed was standing, except what belonged to the hospital: their refuge was among the wounded and the dying.
Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799
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God, 'were perfectly original and unique, and would be well worth preserving, were it possible to give the tones and manner with the words; but no adequate idea of them can be written while the tones and manner remain inexpressible.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth, a Northern Slave, Emancipated from Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 Olive Truth Gilbert 1850
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The legacy of Charles Mingus is, in short, inexpressible.
unknown title 2009
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The legacy of Charles Mingus is, in short, inexpressible.
unknown title 2009
DiNovia commented on the word inexpressible
I love the tension between having a concept like inexpressibility and a word used specifically to express that concept.
March 22, 2012
ruzuzu commented on the word inexpressible
I like how the Century begins with "Not expressible; incapable of being expressed; that cannot be uttered or represented in words; unspeakable; unutterable: as, inexpressible grief or joy" and ends with "Trousers; “unmentionables.”"
August 10, 2012
pterodactyl commented on the word inexpressible
Time for me to put on a pair of inexpressibles and start my day!
August 11, 2012
bilby commented on the word inexpressible
This definition is pants.
August 12, 2012