Uninvestigable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not capable of being examined or studied in detail
2. Impossible to conduct an inquiry into or analyze effectively
3. Unable to be subjected to investigation or scrutiny

Etymology: "Uninvestigable" is built in the most transparent way English allows: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "investigable", which means "able to be investigated." The base traces back to the Latin "investigare," meaning "to track out" or "to search into," a verb built from "in-" ("into") and "vestigium," a footprint or trace. So the word's deepest image is of following tracks, and "investigable" carries that idea of something that can be tracked down and examined. Put together, "uninvestigable" describes something that cannot be looked into, whether because it is hidden, too vast, too complex, or closed off to inquiry. Its meaning follows directly from its parts, with no sense shift or surprising detour along the way.

Synonyms: unexaminable, incomprehensible

Antonyms: investigable, examinable