inscrutableness
Definition
Noun (uncountable): The quality or state of being impossible to understand, interpret, or see through; impenetrable mystery or obscurity.
Usage Examples
- (The text was so mysterious that no one could decipher it.)
- (Her expression and demeanor were unreadable.)
- (The fundamental nature of the cosmos remains hidden from human understanding.)
Advanced Usage
"an air of inscrutableness": a demeanor that suggests hidden thoughts or intentions.
- The diplomat maintained an air of inscrutableness throughout the negotiations. (He gave away no clues about his position.)
"the inscrutableness of fate": the idea that destiny or fortune is unknowable.
- He accepted the inscrutableness of fate, believing that some events are beyond human comprehension. (He resigned himself to the mystery of life's twists.)
Variants and Related Words
Inscrutable (adjective): impossible to understand or interpret.
- The sphinx's inscrutable smile has puzzled historians for centuries. (The smile cannot be read or explained.)
Inscrutability (noun): another form meaning the same as "inscrutableness"; both are correct.
- The inscrutability of the criminal's motives baffled the detective. (The motives were hidden and mysterious.)
Synonyms
- Mysteriousness: the quality of being difficult or impossible to understand.
- Impenetrability: the quality of being impossible to see through or comprehend.
- Enigmaticness: the state of being puzzling or cryptic.
Related Idioms
"a closed book": something that is impossible to understand or know.
- To outsiders, the tribe's customs are a closed book. (They are completely inscrutable.)
"playing one's cards close to the chest": keeping one's intentions or thoughts hidden.
- The CEO always plays his cards close to the chest, adding to his inscrutableness. (He reveals nothing of his plans.)