ineffable
- Too great, extreme, or beautiful to be adequately expressed in words.
- In religious use, too sacred to be spoken aloud (said especially of a divine name).
In a sentence
- Standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon at sunrise, she felt an ineffable sense of wonder.
- The grief of losing a child is often described as ineffable — language simply fails to contain it.
Usage note. Ineffable leans toward the sublime or the overwhelming; avoid using it hyperbolically for minor pleasures, as overuse dilutes its sense of something genuinely beyond language.
Where it comes from
English ineffable · entered English late 14th c.
From Latin 'ineffabilis,' meaning 'unutterable' or 'unspeakable,' from 'in-' (not) and 'effabilis' (speakable), derived from 'effari' — a compound of 'ex-' (out) and 'fari' (to speak). The word entered English in the late 14th to early 15th century, initially in theological contexts. The Latin root 'fari' is also the source of 'infant' (literally 'not speaking') and 'fable.'