impossible to comprehend

USAGE SUMMARY

"impossible to comprehend" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing something that is very difficult to understand. For example, "The professor's lecture was impossible to comprehend due to its complexity."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Impossible to comprehend".

The Guardian

A sky so huge that it's almost impossible to comprehend.

The Guardian - Film

The scale is almost impossible to comprehend," he said.

The Guardian

Atrocity is both banal and ultimately impossible to comprehend.

The Guardian - Opinion

Your brain keeps trying to process what you're seeing, but it's impossible to comprehend.

Britannica

It's impossible to comprehend just how exhausting the questioning, though important, must be.

The Guardian - Opinion

"The differentials in compensation are going to be almost impossible to comprehend, they'll be that large".

The New York Times

It seems... impossible to comprehend; impossible to find words to describe the loss".

The New York Times - Books

To think he has killed so many people is impossible to comprehend.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

The sensation is half-comic but also half-inspirational, as if we were being told, "Look at the projects to which humans will devote themselves": to the creation of illusion, to mastering the impossible, to comprehending mystery.

The New York Times - Arts

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $23. Wright's poems don't bear down toward conclusions, they expand and evanesce as if in a valiant, impossible effort to comprehend and demonstrate Wittgenstein's dictum that "the world is all that is the case".

The New York Times - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "impossible to comprehend" when you want to emphasize the extreme difficulty in understanding something, often due to its complexity, scale, or emotional impact. For instance, "The vastness of space is impossible to comprehend."

Common error

Avoid using "impossible to comprehend" for situations where something is merely difficult or challenging to understand. Opt for simpler alternatives like "hard to understand" or "confusing" when the situation doesn't warrant such a strong expression.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "impossible to comprehend" functions as an adjective phrase modifying a noun or pronoun, indicating that something is extremely difficult or completely beyond understanding. Ludwig shows many examples of its usage in describing complex or abstract concepts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

71%

Science

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "impossible to comprehend" is a powerful phrase used to describe something extremely difficult to understand. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and suitable for formal and informal contexts. While highly versatile, be mindful to avoid overuse in simple situations. Instead, reserve it for circumstances where you want to emphasize the profound difficulty in grasping something. Common synonyms include "unfathomable", "incomprehensible" and "beyond understanding". Keep in mind that the phrase frequently appears in News & Media. So, use "impossible to comprehend" to denote topics that are so complex or abstract that they are almost or truly beyond one's capacity to understand.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

incomprehensible

A synonym that emphasizes the lack of ability to understand something.

defies understanding

Emphasizes the resistance of something to being understood.

beyond understanding

Replaces "impossible to comprehend" with a simpler, more direct expression of being ununderstandable.

eludes comprehension

A more formal way of saying that something escapes understanding.

unfathomable

Uses a single word to convey the idea of being too deep or complex to understand.

difficult to grasp

Suggests that understanding requires effort, but is not necessarily impossible.

hard to make sense of

Focuses on the struggle to find a logical or coherent explanation.

beyond my grasp

Indicates a personal inability to understand something, implying a lack of knowledge or skill.

not easily understood

Understates the difficulty, suggesting that understanding is possible with effort.

remains a mystery

Shifts the focus to the unknown nature of something, rather than the inability to understand it.

FAQs

What does "impossible to comprehend" mean?

The phrase "impossible to comprehend" means that something is extremely difficult or even beyond one's ability to understand. It suggests a very high degree of complexity or inexplicability.

What can I say instead of "impossible to comprehend"?

You can use alternatives like "unfathomable", "incomprehensible", or "beyond understanding" to express a similar idea.

Is it okay to use "impossible to comprehend" in formal writing?

Yes, "impossible to comprehend" is suitable for formal writing. It's used in news articles, academic papers, and other professional contexts to describe things that are very hard to understand.

When should I use "impossible to comprehend" instead of "difficult to understand"?

Use "impossible to comprehend" when you want to emphasize that something is so complex or abstract that it is nearly or truly beyond one's ability to grasp. "Difficult to understand" is more appropriate for situations that are challenging but not necessarily insurmountable.