Standard Lemma guide

unfathomable

adj · 5 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: /(ˌ)ʌnˈfæðəməbl̩/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ʌnˈfæðm̩əbl̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌʌnˈfæð(ə)məb(ə)l/
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N F AE1 DH AH0 M AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Impossible to fathom.

Especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured; immeasurable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abyssal, incalculable, inestimable, soundless, unplumbable, unsoundable

Antonyms: calculable, estimable, fathomable, measurable, plumbable, soundable

2

adj

Meaning 2

Impossible to fathom.

Impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The sheer number of warriors the enemy attacked with was unfathomable.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bottomless, fathomless, impenetrable, unintelligible, abstruse, Chinese, dense, enigmatic, Greek, inapprehensible, incognizable, incomprehensible, ineffable, inenubilable, inexplicable, insensible, inscrutable, insoluble, insolvable, mysterious, nonunderstandable, obscure, retruse, tenebrose, thick, undecipherable, undiscoverable, unexplainable, unfathomable, ungraspable, unknowable, ununderstandable

Antonyms: explicable, fathomable, intelligible, penetrable, understandable, apprehensible, clear, limpid, comprehensible, explainable, explicatable, graspable, illuminable, lucid, pellucid, perspicuous, straightforward, tangible

3

adjective

Meaning 3

of depth; not capable of being sounded or measured

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: fathomable

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

impossible to come to understand

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be unmeasurable

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the abyssal depths of the ocean

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abysmal, abyssal

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + fathom (“to measure the depth of (water); (figurative) to deeply understand (someone or something)”) + -able (suffix forming adjectives denoting things not able or fit to be done).

Across languages

Translations

89 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անհատակ (anhatak) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Bengali: অগাধ (ogadh) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Bengali: অগম (ogom) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Bengali: অথৈ (othōi) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Finnish: mittaamaton — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • French: insondable — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • German: unermesslich — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • German: unergründlich — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • German: abgrundtief — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Ancient Greek: ἄβῠσσος (ábŭssos) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Gujarati: અથાહ (athāh) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Hindi: अथाह (athāh) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Italian: abissale — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Italian: insondabile — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Japanese: 計り知れない (hakarishirenai) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Latin: abyssālis — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Macedonian: неизмерен (neizmeren) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Manx: neufeiyagh — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Manx: neuhuntallagh — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Odia: ବିପୁଳ (bipuḷa) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Polish: niezgłębiony — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Portuguese: imperscrutável — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Portuguese: insondável — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Romanian: insondabil — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Russian: бездо́нный (bezdónnyj) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Russian: измери́мый (izmerímyj) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Russian: неизмери́мый (neizmerímyj) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Sanskrit: अगाध (agādha) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Spanish: insondable — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Tamil: ஆழ் (āḻ) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Telugu: అగాధము (agādhamu) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Urdu: اَتھاہ (athāh) — especially of depth: physically incapable of being measured — see also immeasurable
  • Armenian: անհատակ (anhatak) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Bengali: গহীন (gohin) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Bulgarian: необхватен (neobhvaten) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Bulgarian: неразбираем (nerazbiraem) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Catalan: incomprensible — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高深莫測 /高深莫测 (gāoshēnmòcè) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 莫測高深 /莫测高深 (mòcègāoshēn) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 深不可測 /深不可测 (shēnbùkěcè) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 玄虛 /玄虚 (xuánxū) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 幽邃 (yōusuì) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Dutch: onbegrijpelijk — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Dutch: onvoorstelbaar — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Dutch: ondoorgrondelijk — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Finnish: käsittämätön — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • French: incompréhensible — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • German: unermesslich — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • German: unergründlich — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • German: unfassbar — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • German: unvorstellbar — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌿𐍃𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻𐍉𐌸𐍃 (unusspillōþs) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Greek: ανεξερεύνητος (anexerévnitos) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Greek: ανεξιχνίαστος (anexichníastos) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Ancient Greek: ἄβῠσσος (ábŭssos) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Hiligaynon: dîmatúngkad — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Hungarian: megfoghatatlan — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Icelandic: óræður — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Italian: incomprensibile — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Italian: imperscrutabile — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Italian: insondabile — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Japanese: 不可思議 (fukashigi) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Japanese: 不思議 (fushigi) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Japanese: 理解できないほど (rikai dekinai hodo) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Japanese: 幽玄 (yūgen) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Latin: indēspectus — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Macedonian: несфатлив (nesfatliv) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Occitan: incomprensible — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Occitan: insasisable — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Polish: niezgłębiony — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Portuguese: incompreensível — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Portuguese: insondável — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Romanian: de neînțeles — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Romanian: insondabil — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Russian: непостижи́мый (nepostižímyj) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Serbo-Croatian: непо̀јмљив — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Serbo-Croatian: несхва̀тљив — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Serbo-Croatian: nepòjmljiv — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Serbo-Croatian: neshvàtljiv — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Swedish: obegriplig — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Swedish: ofattbar — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Swedish: ogripbar — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Swedish: outgrundlig — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Swedish: outrannsaklig — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Ukrainian: незбагне́нний (nezbahnénnyj) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Urdu: اَتھاہ (athāh) — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Veps: tedištamatoi — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Vietnamese: bí hiểm — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand
  • Yoruba: arágbayamúya — impossible to grasp the extent of, or to fully know or understand