1
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inscrutable
As socioeconomic and ideological gaps widen in the United States, people will continue to find one another inscrutable, infuriating, or hostile, however much everyone softens themselves.
—
Lily Scherlis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
The British pop quintet Idles is the band of this moment — a moment defined by an inscrutable youth culture protesting in support of abhorrent political positions or embracing styles of self-abusive depravity.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025
From the outside, Didion seemed to be to be inscrutable, glamorous, insanely gifted and invulnerable.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Jackson-Cohen, Keene, and Hyland look glamorous in their ’30s period outfits as director Sam Yates zooms in on their inscrutable faces.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Lily Scherlis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
The British pop quintet Idles is the band of this moment — a moment defined by an inscrutable youth culture protesting in support of abhorrent political positions or embracing styles of self-abusive depravity.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025
From the outside, Didion seemed to be to be inscrutable, glamorous, insanely gifted and invulnerable.
—Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Jackson-Cohen, Keene, and Hyland look glamorous in their ’30s period outfits as director Sam Yates zooms in on their inscrutable faces.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inscrutable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inscrutable
Adjective
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The family adventure show is set at mysterious Crookhaven School where high achieving young crooks from across the world are secretly selected to hone their skills in disciplines such as deception, crimnastics, forgery and infiltration.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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Dipping in and out of this book over a few months might inspire a new reverence for the mysterious human body.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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While critical thinking is invaluable, the tendency to fixate on ambiguous data points—many of which pertain to uncontrollable external factors—can lead to unnecessary stress.—
Davide Sartini,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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The two were previously involved in a morally ambiguous mission gone wrong, which led to Vincent murdering an undercover cop.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Neither Henry nor Devers have been willing to detail that conversation until now, as Devers finally broke his silence on the discussion with a cryptic four-word message.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
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Still, his message ended on a cheerful note that showed the musician seems to be taking the cryptic dismissal in stride.—
Glenn Rowley,
Billboard,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Starting from a relatively obscure blog, Yarvin has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of ...—
Fred Bauer,
National Review,
10 May 2025
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What historical and cultural circumstances lead a language down such obscure paths?—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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His early career, however, was marked by several more enigmatic turns in films like Clay Pigeons (1998) and Gus Van Sant's Psycho remake (1998).—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
9 May 2025
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The feature, based on an award-winning short, traces the story of an enigmatic old man living in the dunes who is unjustly accused of killing a local.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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As an escaped convict posing as a beloved preacher, and as his gentle, upright twin, Robeson embodies a devastating split between appearance and truth, and whose uncanny doubling plays out in a community shaped by racial violence, spiritual deception, and economic precarity.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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Many of these films, the recent Snow White most nefarious amongst them, are leaden with uncanny valley CGI, bizarre green screen devotion and a surprising lack of artistic intent.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The videos look just like the photos, with unnatural colors and visible noise, especially in dark environments.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2025
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Related Stories All About Jalen Brunson's Parents, Sandra and Rick Brunson See Photos of Timothée Chalamet, Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and More On May 16, Chalamet wore a Chrome Hearts tracksuit in a dark navy blue.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Among employees, he had been known as a deep thinker and even something of a mystic, regularly speaking in spiritual terms.—
Karen Hao,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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Lag BaOmer celebrates the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.—
Rabbi Moishe Kievman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inscrutable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inscrutable. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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