French word

indicible

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛ̃disibl/

Meaning

  • adjectiveindescribable

Example

Sa joie était indicible.

Her joy was indescribable.

Illustration for indicible (indescribable)

More examples

Je suis submergé par une émotion indicible.

I am overwhelmed by an inexpressible emotion.

Core concept

A powerful feeling that stays beyond the reach of spoken language.

Definition in French

Qualifie quelque chose d'inexprimable par des mots, notamment une impression profonde.

Word origin

Indicible comes from Latin indicibilis, formed from in- meaning 'not', dicere meaning 'to say', and -ibilis marking possibility.

Usage tips

  • Indicible is more literary or formal than everyday phrases such as je n'arrive pas à l'exprimer.

Other meanings

  • inexpressibleadjective

Opposites

  • exprimableexpressibleadjective

Word lists with this word