impalpable

adjective

(ˌ)im-ˈpal-pə-bəl How to pronounce impalpable (audio)
Definition of impalpablenext
1
as in incorporeal
not capable of being perceived by the sense of touch the rich colors used in the wall coverings and furniture give the room an impalpable warmth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in invisible
not perceptible by a sense or by the mind any difference between the two sound systems is impalpable to all but the most discerning audiophiles

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impalpable The principle consists in mixing, with the sewage, quantities of lime and clay, combining with the carbonic acid of the fecal matters to form carbonate of lime, in an impalpable powder. — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 15 June 2022 This is the primordial key point, the impalpable idea that will finally turn out to be the engine of your business. — Xavier Preterit, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 And so, with 24 regular-season games remaining for the Utah Jazz after the All-Star break, hard-and-fast conclusions about this team remain frustratingly elusive and impalpable. — Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Feb. 2022 But there’s an argument to be made that the colorless, soundless, impalpable structures of symbols and relationships of science are far more revealing. — Kc Cole, Wired, 22 Dec. 2021 Afterward, as in Vienna, property relations were forever altered, which had an impalpable but unmistakable effect on attitudes. — New York Times, 29 June 2021 The full album as well features similar, almost impalpable, differences. — Lauren Huff, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impalpable
  1. incorporeal
  2. invisible
  3. intangible
  4. imperceptible
  5. subtle
Adjective
  • Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of incorporeal
Adjective
  • The mostly invisible bits course through blood and pass from mother to child through the placenta and breast milk.
    — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Why invisible warmth is catching on The cultural setup for this trend was already in place.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of invisible
Adjective
  • That social capital aspect is a crucial part of the business’s intangible capital and adds considerable value to the company.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This initiative’s impact would be both intangible and tangible.
    — John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of intangible
Adjective
  • Instead, his team developed SynthID, an imperceptible, incorruptible digital watermark now stamped to anything generated by Google AI, but also OpenAI, Nvidia, Kakao, and, soon, Apple.
    — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Through a meditative duet between the performer’s cognition and their autonomic nervous system, activities that were largely imperceptible to an outside observer became known to the performer.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of imperceptible
Adjective
  • The rash can be more subtle on darker skin tones, but a bumpy or textured feel is often present.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The last major change was the iPhone X, which dropped the home button almost a decade ago, and even that was a fairly subtle improvement.
    — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of subtle

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impalpable
impanel
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Cite this Entry

“Impalpable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impalpable. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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