ineffability

Ineffability is the quality of being unable to be adequately expressed in words. It is used to describe experiences, truths, or qualities that resist precise articulation, either because language lacks the necessary terms or because the subject is of such gravity or immediacy that words seem inadequate. The term appears in philosophy, theology, aesthetics, and everyday language.

The word comes from Late Latin ineffabilis, from in- 'not' + effabilis 'able to be expressed' (from effari, to utter).

In philosophy of language, ineffability signals limits to linguistic expression and to the representation of certain phenomena. Some philosophers, including Wittgenstein, argued that what can be shown cannot be spoken, and that some truths lie beyond the reach of description. Others discuss whether all meaningful experience can be translated into adequate words or whether some aspects remain non-propositional.

In religion and mysticism, ineffability is often invoked to characterize experiences of the divine, ultimate realities, or sacred mysteries that believers feel cannot be fully communicated. Theologies sometimes acknowledge the ineffable nature of ultimate realities as something best approached through contemplation, ritual, or silence rather than explicit proposition.

In aesthetics, the sublime or profoundly beautiful experiences are frequently described as ineffable, with metaphor and other language used to gesture toward what cannot be fully captured by description. The term is also used more loosely to denote any statement that defies precise articulation.