inscrutable C2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/ See IPA manual Freq #38370 Meanings 1 adj Impossible to understand or read; mysterious. He gave an inscrutable smile, and no one could tell what he was thinking. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · impossible to understand or... enigmaticimpenetrableincomprehensible Word family Forms inscrutably Etymology AI details Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin īnscrūtābilis, from in- (“not”) + scrūtō (“to examine”), corresponding to in- + scrutable īnscrūtābilis la-lat View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # inscrutable **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/ **Frequency rank:** 38370 ## Meanings 1. Impossible to understand or read; mysterious. ## Examples - He gave an inscrutable smile, and no one could tell what he was thinking. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: īnscrūtābilis ## Etymology Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin īnscrūtābilis, from in- (“not”) + scrūtō (“to examine”), corresponding to in- + scrutable ## AI Etymology Inscrutable is traced through borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin īnscrūtābilis, from in- (“not”) + scrūtō (“to examine”), corresponding to in- + scrutable. In present-day use, it means impossible to understand or read; mysterious. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown