1
Core quality
Impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
Example
The sudden decline remains inexplicable.
inexplicable
/ˌɪnɪkˈsplɪkəbəl/ · in-ik-SPLIK-uh-buladjective
Impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
Use inexplicable to express this relationship precisely: impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
What inexplicable Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
An inexplicable discrepancy appeared in the final totals.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
What seemed inexplicable became clear after calibration.
Use inexplicable Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The sudden decline remains inexplicable.
An inexplicable discrepancy appeared in the final totals.
What seemed inexplicable became clear after calibration.
Precision Matters
Inexplicable overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
inexplicable
vs.Means impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
explicit
Means stated directly and with complete clarity.
inexplicable
vs.Means impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
plausible
Means seeming reasonable, credible, or likely to be true, even if not yet proved.
inexplicable
vs.Means impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
ascertain
Means find out or establish a fact with certainty through investigation, observation, or evidence.
inexplicable
vs.Means impossible or extremely difficult to explain or account for with available information.
perplex
Means puzzle or confuse someone, especially through complexity or uncertainty.
Test inexplicable in Context
No available information can account for the event.
1
Because every instrument was functioning normally, the abrupt signal loss appeared ___.