1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inscrutable
While other tech companies usually name their products using combinations of inscrutable letters and numbers, most of Nvidia’s most recent GPU architectures have been named after famous women scientists.
—
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
The actor, who has built a career playing deliciously inscrutable villains, stars as Alfred Moretti, an enigmatic pop icon who, after decades out of the spotlight, re-emerges to announce the release of a new album.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The Giants have done it again, building an entire rotation out of inscrutable test cases and unpredictable pitchers.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
My personal favorites are the more inscrutable pieces like the Black Cat Tips mural on Charlotte Avenue.
—Adam Tamburin, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
The actor, who has built a career playing deliciously inscrutable villains, stars as Alfred Moretti, an enigmatic pop icon who, after decades out of the spotlight, re-emerges to announce the release of a new album.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
The Giants have done it again, building an entire rotation out of inscrutable test cases and unpredictable pitchers.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
My personal favorites are the more inscrutable pieces like the Black Cat Tips mural on Charlotte Avenue.
—Adam Tamburin, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
-
Some people are already well aware of Norse Atlantic, despite the company’s somewhat mysterious profile.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
She's just been visited by a mysterious mate named Donnie, who claims to be a friend of Harry's.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But the scene itself could be read as a little ambiguous, too: is Sammie trying to pierce the veil again, playing a song that could both foster community but also bring back the vampires?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
As the days turned into weeks, the reality of her situation remained ambiguous.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to ‘find the accountant,’ Wolff is compelled to solve the case.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Despite the cryptic message, many fans figured out where to find the singer and showed up in droves, forcing Lorde to initially cancel her appearance.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That included obscure cold opens and immersive world-building.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
But his recitation of Black Americans’ names also revealed that they were heavily weighted toward athletes and performers like Jackie Robinson and Aretha Franklin (on a list that includes relatively obscure conservative white thinkers such as Whittaker Chambers and Clare Boothe Luce).—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Other notable roles for Chastain include playing astronaut Melissa Lewis in The Martian, the enigmatic Murph in Interstellar and real-life figure Molly Bloom in Molly’s Game.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2025
-
These enigmatic paintings are inspired by Edvard Munch and William Blake: After Munch: Less is Known than People Think, 2023, and After Blake: Less is Known than People Think, 2024, in which astronomy, history and geography cross paths with spirituality, according to the artist.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, Cindy Bi, has developed a reputation for her uncanny ability to spot unicorns early, backing 14 billion dollar companies, 12 of them from seed stage.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Green Day has the uncanny ability to make every song sound like a hit, regardless of its initial impact.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And so by some sociologists, camp is thought to be this form of dark humor serving as a coping mechanism to historical marginalization.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Editor’s tip: Niacinamide is a multitasker that blurs the look of dark spots, evens your skin tone, and balances your complexion.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Those attributed to Jesus—described in language nearly identical to accounts of the Greek mystic and holy man Apollonius of Tyana, say—are neither more nor less convincing than others.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Founded on the ethos of art as a form of mystic healing, the label reimagines the family heirloom—and invites its patrons to examine their relationship with objects.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share