unascertainable

English

Etymology

From un- +‎ ascertainable.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌʌnæsəˈteɪnəbl̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌʌnæsɚˈteɪnəbl̩/

Adjective

unascertainable (comparative more unascertainable, superlative most unascertainable)

1. That cannot be ascertained; uncertain, unable to be determined or discovered.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.19:

     Everything one would wish to know of the relations of Aristotle and Alexander is unascertainable, the more so as legends were soon invented on the subject.

   • 1967 February 25, Hannah Arendt, “Truth and Politics”, in The New Yorker, page 84:

     Reality is different from, and more than, the totality of facts and events, which, anyhow, is unascertainable.

   • 1980 September 15, Mikva, Big Mama Rag Inc v. United States‎^[1]:

     The regulation's vagueness is especially apparent in the last clause quoted above. That portion of the test is expressly based on an individualistic—and therefore necessarily varying and unascertainable—standard: the reactions of members of the public.

Antonyms

• ascertainable