Unanswerables

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Questions or problems for which no satisfactory or definitive responses can be given ; utterances that defy reply or challenge available knowledge ; topics that resist resolution or clear explanation
2. Matters or inquiries that cannot be resolved or adequately addressed ; statements posed without expectation of reply or that stymie any answer ; subjects that remain inherently unresolvable or perplexing
3. Issues or interrogatives lacking sufficient information or clarity to allow an answer ; assertions that elude direct response due to complexity or ambiguity ; concepts that endure as mysteries without clear solutions or explanations

Etymology: The word is a plain compound: "un-" attached to "answerable," which itself combines "answer" with the suffix "-able." Both halves are old. "Answer" traces back to Old English "andswerian," built from "and-" (against, in return) and "swerian" (to swear, to affirm), so an answer was originally a formal response in kind, the reply one gave when challenged. The suffix comes through Old French "-able" from Latin "-ābilis," meaning capable of being or deserving to be acted upon, and English gained "answerable" meaning able to be answered, and later "answerable" in the sense of accountable. "Unanswerable" follows the same pattern, meaning not able to be answered. The plural "unanswerables" is simply the noun form, used for questions or matters of that kind, the things people keep asking that resist a reply.

Synonyms: unsolvable questions, riddles, mysteries, conundrums, enigmas

Antonyms: solutions, answers, resolutions, explanations, clarifications