Standard Lemma guide

insoluble

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsɒljʊbəl/
  • General-American: /ɪnˈsɑljəbəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S AA1 L Y AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

That cannot be dissolved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: physical

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • Petroleum is largely insoluble in water.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indissoluble, undissolvable

Antonyms: soluble, dissoluble, dissolvable

2

adj

Meaning 2

That cannot be solved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insolvable, unsolvable

Antonyms: soluble, solvable

3

adj

Meaning 3

That cannot be explained.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: unexplained, mysterious; see also Thesaurus:incomprehensible, Thesaurus:mysterious

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inexplicable, unexplainable, unexplained, mysterious, abstruse, Chinese, dense, enigmatic, fathomless, Greek, inapprehensible, incognizable, incomprehensible, ineffable, inenubilable, impenetrable, insensible, inscrutable, insoluble, insolvable, nonunderstandable, obscure, retruse, tenebrose, thick, undecipherable, undiscoverable, unfathomable, ungraspable, unintelligible, unknowable, ununderstandable, arcane, cryptic, ill-defined, mysterial, mysterioso, mystic, runish, sibylline, systerious, uncertain, undefined, undetermined

Antonyms: soluble, solvable

4

adj

Meaning 4

That cannot be broken down or dispersed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indissoluble, undissolvable

Antonyms: soluble, dissoluble, dissolvable

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any substance that cannot be dissolved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

(of a substance) incapable of being dissolved

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indissoluble

Antonyms: soluble

7

adjective

Meaning 7

admitting of no solution or explanation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an insoluble doubt

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: soluble

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

without hope of solution

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an insoluble problem

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English insolible, from Middle French insoluble, from Latin insolūbilis, from in- + solūbilis. Piecewise doublet of insolvable and unsolvable. By surface analysis, in- + soluble.

Across languages

Translations

54 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անլուծելի (anluceli) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Armenian: չլուծվող (čʻlucvoġ) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Bulgarian: неразтворим (neraztvorim) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Catalan: insoluble — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不溶 (bùróng) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Czech: nerozpustný — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Dutch: onoplosbaar — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Finnish: liukenematon — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • German: unlösbar — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Hungarian: oldhatatlan — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Italian: insolubile — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Japanese: 溶けない (tokenai) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Japanese: 不溶の (fuyō no) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Macedonian: нерастворлив (nerastvorliv) — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Māori: mehakore — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uløselig — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Polish: nierozpuszczalny — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Portuguese: insolúvel — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Romanian: insolubil — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Spanish: insoluble — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Swedish: olöslig — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Tagalog: dilusawin — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Welsh: anhydawdd — not soluble; that cannot be dissolved
  • Armenian: անլուծելի (anluceli) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Bulgarian: нерешим (nerešim) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Catalan: insoluble — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Catalan: irresoluble — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Czech: neřešitelný — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Dutch: onoplosbaar — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Finnish: ratkeamaton — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Finnish: ratkaisematon — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • French: insoluble — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • German: unlösbar — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Greek: αξεδιάλυτος (axediálytos) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Hungarian: megoldhatatlan — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Italian: insolubile — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Japanese: 解けない (tokenai) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Japanese: 割り切れない (warikirenai) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Japanese: 不可解な (fukakai na) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Macedonian: нерешлив (nerešliv) — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Polish: nierozwiązywalny — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Polish: nierozwiązalny — not solvable; that cannot be solved
  • Armenian: անբացատրելի (anbacʻatreli) — not explainable
  • Bulgarian: необясним (neobjasnim) — not explainable
  • Dutch: onverklaarbaar — not explainable
  • Finnish: selittämätön — not explainable
  • German: unerklärlich — not explainable
  • Hungarian: megmagyarázhatatlan — not explainable
  • Italian: inspiegabile — not explainable
  • Japanese: 解けない (tokenai) — not explainable
  • Japanese: 割り切れない (warikirenai) — not explainable
  • Japanese: 不可解な (fukakai na) — not explainable
  • Macedonian: необјаснив (neobjasniv) — not explainable
  • Polish: niewytłumaczalny — not explainable