What does ineffable mean?
Definitions for ineffable
ɪnˈɛf ə bəlin·ef·fa·ble
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ineffable.
Princeton's WordNet
indefinable, indescribable, ineffable, unspeakable, untellable, unutterableadjective
defying expression or description
"indefinable yearnings"; "indescribable beauty"; "ineffable ecstasy"; "inexpressible anguish"; "unspeakable happiness"; "unutterable contempt"; "a thing of untellable splendor"
ineffable, unnameable, unspeakable, unutterableadjective
too sacred to be uttered
"the ineffable name of the Deity"
Wiktionary
ineffableadjective
Beyond expression in words; unspeakable.
ineffableadjective
Forbidden to be uttered; taboo.
Etymology: First attested in 1450. From ineffable, from ineffabilis, from in- + effor.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Ineffableadjective
Unspeakable; unutterable; not to be expressed. It is used almost always in a good sense.
Etymology: ineffable, Fr. ineffabilis, Lat.
To whom the son, with calm aspect, and clear,
Light'ning divine, ineffable, serene!
Made answer. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. v.Reflect upon a clear, unblotted, acquitted conscience, and feed upon the ineffable comforts of the memorial of a conquered temptation. South.
Wikipedia
ineffable
Ineffability is the quality of something that surpasses the capacity of language to express it, often being in the form of a taboo or incomprehensible term. This property is commonly associated with philosophy, aspects of existence, and similar concepts that are inherently "too great", complex or abstract to be communicated adequately. Illogical statements, principles, reasons and arguments may be considered intrinsically ineffable along with impossibilities, contradictions and paradoxes. Terminology describing the nature of experience cannot be conveyed properly in dualistic symbolic language; it is believed that this knowledge is only held by the individual from which it originates. Profanity and vulgarisms can easily and clearly be stated, but by those who believe they should not be said, they are considered ineffable. Thus, one method of describing something that is ineffable is by using apophasis, i.e. describing what it is not, rather than what it is. An example is the name of God in Judaism, written as YHWH but substituted with Adonai ("the Lord") or HaShem ("the name") when reading.
ChatGPT
ineffable
Ineffable refers to something that is too great, intense, or extreme to be described or expressed in words. It can also mean something that is considered too sacred or taboo to be spoken or talked about.
Webster Dictionary
Ineffableadjective
incapable of being expresses in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable; as, the ineffable joys of heaven
Etymology: [L. ineffabilis: cf. F. ineffable. See In- not, and Effable, Fame.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Ineffable
in-ef′a-bl, adj. that cannot be described, inexpressible.—n. Ineff′ableness.—adv. Ineff′ably. [Fr.,—L. ineffabilis—in, not, effabilis, effable.]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of ineffable in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of ineffable in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of ineffable in a Sentence
It is interesting to note that poetry, a literary device whose very construct involves the use of words, is itself the word of choice by persons grasping to describe something so beautiful it is marvelously ineffable.
I never have found the perfect quote. At best I have been able to find a string of quotations which merely circle the ineffable idea I seek to express.
But those rare souls whose spirit gets magically into the hearts of men, leave behind them something more real and warmly personal than bodily presence, an ineffable and eternal thing. It is everlasting life touching us as something more than a vague, recondite concept. The sound of a great name dies like an echo the splendor of fame fades into nothing but the grace of a fine spirit pervades the places through which it has passed, like the haunting loveliness of mignonette.
The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods.
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References
Translations for ineffable
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- يفوق الوصفArabic
- nevýslovnýCzech
- anhraetholWelsh
- uudsigeligeDanish
- unaussprechlichGerman
- άφατοςGreek
- nefablaEsperanto
- inefableSpanish
- غیر قابل توصیفPersian
- sanoinkuvaamaton, sanomatonFinnish
- ineffableFrench
- ineffableIrish
- neufocklaghManx
- अकहाHindi
- kimondhatatlanHungarian
- tak terlukiskanIndonesian
- ineffabileItalian
- בַּל יְתוּאַרHebrew
- 不可能なJapanese
- ವರ್ಣಿಸಲಾಗದKannada
- 말로 표현할 수 없는Korean
- ineffabilisLatin
- onuitsprekelijkDutch
- uutsigelig, usigelig, unevneligNorwegian
- ten, którego imienia się nie wymienia, nieopisanyPolish
- indescritível, inefávelPortuguese
- inefabilRomanian
- невыразимый, неописуемый, несказанныйRussian
- obeskrivlig, onämnbar, outsägligSwedish
- விவரிக்க முடியாதTamil
- చెప్పలేని, చెప్పరానిTelugu
- ไม่สามารถทำได้Thai
- ağza alınmaz, anlatılmazTurkish
- невимовний, несказаннеUkrainian
- ناقابل اعتمادUrdu
- không thể nói đượcVietnamese
- אומגליקלעךYiddish
- 無法形容Chinese
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"ineffable." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ineffable>.
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