The etymological origin of the term indescribable that we are now going to discuss can be found in Latin. Specifically, it is the result of the sum of several lexical components of that language:
-The prefix “in-”, which is synonymous with “no” and “without”.
-The word “de-”, which is used to indicate “from top to bottom”.
-The verb “scribere”, which can be translated as “to write” or “to draw”.
-The suffix “-ble”, which is used to indicate “that can”.
The adjective indescribable is used to describe something that cannot be described . The verb describe, in turn, refers to detailing or enumerating the characteristics of something or someone through language.
Incredible, unspeakable or unspeakable are some of the words that are often used as synonyms for the term indescribable that we are discussing. On the other hand, among its antonyms we find credible, narrable, describable, definable or explainable, for example.
When for some reason it is impossible to carry out a description , it is said that the individual, object or situation in question is indescribable. Typically, the indescribable has unusual or exaggerated qualities.
For example: “Terrorism caused indescribable pain to our nation” , “When the referee blew the whistle on the match and we were crowned world champions, I experienced an indescribable feeling” , “I felt indescribable happiness at the birth of my son” .
The indescribable is associated with the lack of words to describe something . Due to the intensity or magnitude of an event, a person may not find the precise terms to express what the event generates. In this context, the event becomes indescribable.
It can be said, for example, that the Second World War was an indescribable tragedy . It is, of course, possible to analyse the causes of the conflict and determine who is responsible; on the other hand, there were many writers and artists from different countries who expressed their emotions and feelings in their works. But, due to the enormous number of victims and the atrocities committed during the war, the tragedy is truly indescribable: language is not enough to measure and reflect what happened. There is no way to define the scope of what the Second World War represented in the history of humanity.
Likewise, we cannot ignore that “Indescribable” is also the title of a song by the artist Emily Peña.
In the cinema sector, we also find several feature films that use the term in their titles. A good example of this is the film “Un placer indescribable” (An Indescribable Pleasure). It was released in 1992, is Spanish and is directed by Ignasi P. Ferré.
Ferran Rañé, Ángel Gonyalons, Mathieu Carrière and Pep Ferrer are the actors who lead the cast of this film that tells the story of a man who has a serious problem with kleptomania. For this reason, he decides to undergo treatment with the help of a psychologist who will complicate his life because he finds her very attractive.