Word: inexplicable

Associations

The word "inexplicable" means something that cannot be explained or understood. It often refers to situations, feelings, or events that are strange or hard to make sense of.

• Example 1: "The sudden storm was inexplicable." This means the storm happened unexpectedly and without clear reason.
• Example 2: "His behavior was inexplicable after the accident." Here, it shows that his actions were hard to understand.
• Example 3: "She felt an inexplicable sense of joy." This means her joy came without a clear reason or explanation.

A well-known synonym for "inexplicable" is "unexplainable." However, "inexplicable" is often used in more emotional or philosophical contexts, while "unexplainable" can be used in more technical or scientific situations.

Substitution

Instead of "inexplicable," you could use:

• "mysterious" – this suggests something is unknown or puzzling.
• "unknowable" – this means it cannot be known at all, which is a stronger statement than merely being hard to explain.
• "unfathomable" – this suggests something is difficult to understand due to its complexity.

Each substitution slightly changes the meaning depending on the context.

Deconstruction

The word "inexplicable" can be broken down into:

• Prefix: "in-" means "not."
• Root: "explicare" which comes from Latin, meaning "to explain."
• Suffix: "-able" suggests that something can be done, so together it means "not able to be explained."

Historically, it comes from Latin roots and was adopted into English to describe phenomena that challenge understanding.

Inquiry

1. Can you think of a time when you experienced something inexplicable? What happened?
2. How would you feel if you encountered an inexplicable situation?
3. In what types of situations do you think people commonly use the word "inexplicable"?