Unknowable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Something that cannot be understood, learned, or discovered no matter how much effort is applied
2. Incapable of being comprehended, perceived, or ascertained through any means of inquiry or investigation
3. Beyond the reach of human understanding, perception, or discovery regardless of methodology or effort applied

Etymology: "Unknowable" is simply "un-" attached to "knowable," which is itself "know" plus the suffix "-able," meaning capable of being. The prefix "un-" is an Old English negator, so the word's sense is a plain reversal: where "knowable" means capable of being known, "unknowable" means not capable of being known at all. The interesting part is how the word's weight has shifted. In everyday use it describes a fact that is simply out of reach, such as a stranger's private thoughts. In philosophy, though, it names a sharper claim: that some reality (the thing in itself, or the ultimate nature of the universe) lies permanently beyond any possible human knowledge, however far inquiry advances.

Synonyms: incomprehensible, indecipherable

Antonyms: knowable, comprehensible