Inexplainable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Unable to be understood, described, or accounted for through reasoning or logic
2. Not possible to clarify, delineate, or rationalize through logical explanation or analysis
3. Incapable of being articulated, outlined, or justified by conventional reasoning or comprehension

Etymology: "Inexplainable" is simply "explainable" with the negating prefix "in-" attached, and the prefix is the same one found in "inexpensive" or "incapable." The base word "explainable" comes from "explain," which descends from Latin "explanare," meaning to make level or flat, from "explanus," with the sense of making a thing plain or clear. So the underlying idea is a thing that can be smoothed out until it is plain to see. The negated form adds the sense of something that resists that smoothing, a matter that stays obscure no matter how it is approached. The word is a straightforward formation from existing English parts rather than a borrowing, so its meaning follows directly from its two halves: "in-" reverses the "can be explained" of its base, leaving something that cannot be accounted for by reason or logic.

Synonyms: unexplainable, incomprehensible, indefinable, mysterious, unaccountable

Antonyms: explainable, clear, definable, understandable, obvious