innumerable

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "innumerable" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a quantity that is too many to be counted or countless. Example: "The stars in the night sky are innumerable, each one shining brightly against the darkness."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Although most famous for his movies - among them Midnight Cowboy, Sunday, Bloody Sunday and Marathon Man - he also worked in the theatre, the opera house, in television and as director of innumerable commercials.

The Guardian

At stake - besides the lives of innumerable Congolese and minority Tutsis in Rwanda and Uganda - is the personal prestige of three heads of state: Mr Mugabe, Sam Njoma of Namibia and Mr Dos Santos, who have publicly thrown their countries into a war against the better judgement of many of their own military leaders.

The Guardian

And yet the memories that are still to be gathered are innumerable.

The Guardian

She is the managing editorial director of the literary Vintage Publishing division of Penguin Random House, which publishes innumerable prize-winning authors, dead and living, from Amis to Woolf, via Nigella and Schama and beyond, and includes the latest Man Booker Prize-winner, Richard Flanagan.

The Guardian

His lifelong passions for nature and architecture led to innumerable trips to the north Norfolk coast, visits to most of the churches and country homes in Norfolk, and a list of the types of trees planted along Norwich streets.

The Guardian

Whether it was punching his own goalkeeper, throwing his shirt at a referee, hitting a team-mate with his boots (presumably not on his feet at the time), or his innumerable sendings-off, not once has there been an expression of regret for the undoubted wrongs he has committed.

The Guardian - Sport

'When the poor cannot afford good lawyers, good lawyers must be able to afford the poor.' In 16 years at the bar, I have seen our system subjected to innumerable cuts, disastrous outsourcing, and a vast expansion of the scope and complexity of the law.

The Guardian - Opinion

As for violence, there have been innumerable appalling assaults – sexual (including rape) and every other kind – on both male and female characters.

The Guardian - Opinion

She took out her phone and scrolled through her innumerable emails from Farukh.

The Guardian - Tech

For innumerable mothers – perhaps most mothers – those haunting images of her carrying her baby out of the ward in her slippers will have taken them back to other wards, other corridors, other loneliness.

The Guardian - Opinion

The ascent is gradual with long straight runs, though interspersed with innumerable roadworks where the surface is little better than a freshly ploughed field.

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "innumerable" to emphasize the overwhelming quantity of something, especially when the exact number is either unknown or irrelevant. It adds a sense of grandeur or scale to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "innumerable" when a simpler word like "many" or "several" would suffice. "Innumerable" is best reserved for truly vast or uncountable quantities to maintain its impact.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "innumerable" is as an adjective. It modifies nouns to indicate a quantity too large to be counted, as exemplified by Ludwig AI's data indicating numerous instances in news and media.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

15%

Less common in

Reference

5%

Academia

5%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "innumerable" functions as an adjective used to describe something that is too numerous to be counted. Ludwig AI's analysis confirms that it is grammatically correct and frequently found in news, formal business contexts, and scientific publications. While synonyms like "countless" and "myriad" exist, "innumerable" adds a specific emphasis on the overwhelming quantity or scale. When writing, it's crucial to reserve "innumerable" for situations where the quantity is genuinely vast to maintain its impact. Understanding its correct usage enhances the precision and impact of written communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

countless

Replaces "innumerable" with a more common synonym, focusing on the inability to count.

numberless

Similar to "countless", emphasizing the lack of a definite number.

uncountable

Directly states that the quantity cannot be counted.

beyond counting

Expresses the idea of a quantity being too large to count.

incalculable

Highlights the impossibility of calculating the exact number.

too numerous to count

A more descriptive alternative, elaborating on the difficulty of counting.

myriad

Suggests a great number and variety.

a multitude of

Indicates a large number of something, often with an implication of variety.

untold

Implies the quantity is so large it hasn't been fully described.

limitless

Emphasizes the absence of any limit to the quantity.

FAQs

How do you use "innumerable" in a sentence?

"Innumerable" is an adjective that means too many to be counted. For example, "The night sky contains "innumerable stars"" or "The project faced "innumerable challenges"".

What are some synonyms for "innumerable"?

Alternatives to "innumerable" include "countless", "numberless", "myriad", and "untold". The best choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to use "innumerable" or "uncountable"?

Both "innumerable" and "uncountable" suggest a quantity too large to count. "Innumerable" often carries a stronger sense of vastness or impressiveness, while "uncountable" is more literal.

What's the difference between "innumerable" and "numerous"?

"Numerous" simply means many or a large number. "Innumerable" implies that the number is so large that it is impossible or impractical to count. "Numerous" is a more general term, while "innumerable" is more emphatic.