nonverifiable

Nonverifiable is an adjective used to describe information, claims, or statements that cannot be verified through available methods, evidence, or independent examination. A nonverifiable claim cannot be confirmed or disproved using replication, documentary records, or credible observation given current constraints.

In science and journalism, verification relies on testable evidence and verifiable sources. Some statements are nonverifiable because records are lost, methods are unavailable, or phenomena lie beyond current capabilities. Nonverifiability does not necessarily imply falsehood; it simply indicates that conclusive verification is not possible under present conditions. Claims may become verifiable later as new methods or data emerge.

Philosophically, verifiability has been a criterion for meaningful discourse in certain epistemological theories, notably logical positivism; however, many philosophers reject verifiability as a necessary or sufficient condition for meaning. In everyday use, nonverifiable is often used to flag caution about reliability, bias, or the lack of corroboration.

Examples include anecdotal reports without independent corroboration, historical assertions with incomplete records, or speculative futurism that cannot be tested. Related concepts include verifiability, verificationism, falsifiability, and evidence-based reasoning.