unverifyable

Unverifyable is an adjective used to describe propositions, claims, or statements that cannot be confirmed or disproved through empirical evidence or observation. The term is derived from the verb “verify,” meaning to establish the truth or correctness of something, combined with the suffix “‑able” indicating capability. When a claim is unverifyable, it lacks the necessary empirical access or methodological means to be subjected to verification procedures.

In the philosophy of science, unverifyability is often discussed in relation to Karl Popper’s notion of falsifiability. While falsifiability requires that a hypothesis can, in principle, be refuted by observation, verifiability demands that it can be confirmed. Claims that involve metaphysical entities, supernatural forces, or purely a priori logical truths are frequently labeled unverifyable because they do not lend themselves to direct empirical testing. This distinction has implications for the demarcation problem, which seeks to differentiate scientific statements from nonscientific ones.

In everyday use, the term appears in debates about evidence-based claims versus anecdotal or conspiratorial assertions. Complaints that a “policy is unverifyable” usually refer to the absence of a clear, testable metric for evaluating its effectiveness. In legal contexts, evidence that cannot be verified may be inadmissible, as courts require that testimony be substantiated by corroborating data.

The concept also intersects with epistemic humility, acknowledging knowledge limits and the possibility that some aspects of human experience remain beyond factual confirmation. Unverifyable assertions therefore occupy a space where belief, inference, and uncertainty coexist.

See also: verifiable, verifiability, falsifiability.