unfathomable
Syllables: un·fa·thom·a·ble/(ˌ)ʌnˈfæðəməbl̩/US/ˌʌnˈfæð(ə)məb(ə)l/
unfathomable adjective: especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured; immeasurable.
Adjective
unfathomable (comparative more unfathomable, superlative most unfathomable)
- Especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured; immeasurable.
- [W]e are not to make our eſtimate of the quantity of VVaters meerly by the Superficies of the Sea, but by its vaſt depth, vvhich in ſome places is unfathomable, and by thoſe vaſt ſubterraneous Receptacles of VVater vvhich pour themſelves out in ſeveral great Ebullitions and Marine Springs: […]a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, “A Fifth Consideration Concerning the Decays especially of the Humane Nature, and whether there be any such Decays; and what may be Collected Concerning the...
- But if we yet rise higher, and consider the fixed stars as so many vast oceans of flame, that are each of them attended with a different set of planets, and still discover new firmaments and new lights, that are sunk farther in those unfathomable depths of ether, so as not to be seen by the...1712 July 12 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “TUESDAY, July 2, 1712. Paper X. On the Pleasures of the Imagination.”, in The Spectator, number 420; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor...
- Synonyms:
- abyssal, incalculable, inestimable, soundless, unplumbable, unsoundable
- Antonyms:
- calculable, estimable, fathomable, measurable, plumbable, soundable
- Impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand.
- The sheer number of warriors the enemy attacked with was unfathomable.
- There are indeed unfadomable depths in that Ocean [i.e., the holy scriptures], vvherin vve ſhall vainly hope to pitch our anchor; but all neceſſary truthes need not much line: […]1640, Jos: Exon. [i.e., Joseph Hall], “§. VII. The Fourth Rule of Moderation; to Rest in Those Fundamentall Truthes which are Revealed Clearely in the Scriptures.”, in Christian Moderation. […]...
- Synonyms:
- bottomless, fathomless, impenetrable, unintelligible, abstruse, Chinese, dense, enigmatic, Greek, inapprehensible
- Antonyms:
- explicable, fathomable, intelligible, penetrable, understandable, apprehensible, clear, limpid, comprehensible, explainable
unfathomable meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
unfathomable in Hindi
- especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
- अथाह athāh
unfathomable in Tamil
- especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
- ஆழ் āḻ
unfathomable in Urdu
- especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
- اَتھاہ athāh
- impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
- اَتھاہ athāh
unfathomable in Bengali
- especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
- অগাধ ogadh, অগম ogom, অথৈ othōi
- impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
- গহীন gohin
More languagesFewer languages
- unfathomable in Telugu
- అగాధము agādhamu
- unfathomable in Malayalam
- അഗാഥം, ഗഹനം, ദുർഗ്രാഹ്യം, മനസ്സിലാക്കാൻ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുള്ള
- unfathomable in Kannada
- ಅರ್ಥೈಸಲಾಗದ, ಗಂಭೀರ, ಅಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ, ನಿಗೂಢ
- unfathomable in Gujarati
- અથાહ athāh
- unfathomable in Odia
- ବିପୁଳ bipuḷa
- unfathomable in Sanskrit
- अगाध agādha
- unfathomable in Vietnamese
- bí hiểm
Examples of unfathomable in a sentence
- Now, where the fiercest war among the waves / Is calm, on the unfathomable stream / The boat moved slowly.1815 September 10 – December 14, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude”, in Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude: And...
- [Y]e may well look up surprised / To those unfathomable heavens that feed / Your purple hills!1851, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Casa Guidi Windows. A Poem, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, part I, stanza XIX, page 52:
- Not till her nineteenth year had she seen the long, dazzling boulevards stretching into unfathomable distance before her eyes; […][1879], [Mary Elizabeth Braddon], “La Chicot”, in The Cloven Foot […], volume I, London: John and Robert Maxwell […], →OCLC, page 71:
- Their music is employed in celebrating their own criminal exploits, and their discourse in sounding the unfathomable depths of fate, freewill, and foreknowledge.1711 March 5 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “THURSDAY, February 23, 1710–1711”, in The Spectator, number 309; republished in...
Synonyms of unfathomable
- abyssal
- incalculable
- inestimable
- soundless
- unplumbable
- unsoundable
- bottomless
- fathomless
- impenetrable
- unintelligible
27 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- abstruse
- Chinese
- dense
- enigmatic
- Greek
- inapprehensible
- incognizable
- incomprehensible
- ineffable
- inenubilable
- inexplicable
- insensible
- inscrutable
- insoluble
- insolvable
- mysterious
- nonunderstandable
- obscure
- tenebrose
- thick
- undecipherable
- undiscoverable
- unexplainable
- ungraspable
- unknowable
- ununderstandable
- retruse
Antonyms
- calculable
- estimable
- fathomable
- measurable
- plumbable
- soundable
- explicable
- intelligible
- penetrable
- understandable
10 more antonymsFewer antonyms
Forms of unfathomable
| comparative | more unfathomable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most unfathomable |
Origin of unfathomable
From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + fathom (“to measure the depth of (water); (figurative) to deeply understand (someone or something)”) + -able (suffix forming adjectives denoting things not able or fit to be done).
Words formed from unfathomable
Questions about unfathomable
- What does unfathomable mean?
- Unfathomable means especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured; immeasurable.
- What is unfathomable in Hindi?
- Unfathomable in Hindi is अथाह (athāh). See Unfathomable meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use unfathomable in a sentence?
- Now, where the fiercest war among the waves / Is calm, on the unfathomable stream / The boat moved slowly.
- What part of speech is unfathomable?
- Unfathomable is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce unfathomable?
- Unfathomable is pronounced /(ˌ)ʌnˈfæðəməbl̩/ (UK).
Words near unfathomable in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: unfathomable (page history and authors); unfathomable (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); unfathomable (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-unfathomable.wav.
Cite this entry: “unfathomable.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/unfathomable. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.