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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Carlton Reid Based on 20 years of observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, new research sheds light on one of the solar system’s most mysterious planets.—
Ryan Waniata,
Wired News,
27 May 2025
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Denim shifts toward a mysterious direction in Blooming Darkness.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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At first unsure, Ester allows the guy to touch her, and as a viewer the scene is ambiguous.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
24 May 2025
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The camera flies out over the water, and neither Cecilie nor the audience gets a definitive answer, with the series coming to an ambiguous and unsettling end.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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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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There are some opaque methods for opening car tailgates, but Smart’s must be one of the most obscure.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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That brings us to Biden’s cancer, a diagnosis that surely cast a pall over the various book tours and panel discussions on what the Bidens and their handlers did or did not obscure.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The film features our beloved returning team members (Luther, Benji, and Ilsa) as well as new faces like the enigmatic thief Grace (Hayley Atwell); Gabriel (Esai Morales), an assassin who knew Ethan in his pre-IMF life; and Denlinger (Cary Elwes), the Director of National Intelligence.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
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The Chicago producer has frequently expressed his disdain for the enigmatic rapper ever since he was left off of the recent LP while Kendrick Lamar got three separate features.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
22 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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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
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Blast off at Baltimore's science fiction convention, see natural beauty envisioned by artists from around the world, take a stroll after dark at the zoo, celebrate Baltimore creatives or go to a legendary concert.—
John Coffren,
Baltimore Sun,
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 2 Jun. 2025.
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