imponderable

/ɪmˈpɑndərəbəl/

Other forms: imponderables; imponderably

Imponderable describes a situation that isn't able to be completely explained. "What is the meaning of life?" is one of those imponderable questions that defies humans' ability for understanding

If something is ponderable, it is capable of being assessed or weighed; stick im- in front and you get the opposite effect. Use imponderable to describe something that is elusive and vague, perhaps even evasive. When your question doesn't have a definitive answer, you are in imponderable territory: "Life has many imponderable questions, such as why you park in a driveway and drive on parkway."

Definitions of imponderable

1. adjective

   difficult or impossible to evaluate with precision
   “such imponderable human factors as aesthetic sensibility”

   antonyms:

   ponderable

   capable of being weighed or considered

   assessable

   capable of being considered carefully
2. noun

   a factor whose effects cannot be accurately assessed
   “human behavior depends on many imponderables”

   types:

   leaven, leavening

   an influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something

   type of:

   influence

   a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do