inestimable

adjective

in·​es·​ti·​ma·​ble (ˌ)i-ˈne-stə-mə-bəl How to pronounce inestimable (audio)
1
: incapable of being estimated or computed
storms caused inestimable damage
2
: too valuable or excellent to be measured or appreciated
has performed an inestimable service for his country
inestimably adverb

Examples of inestimable in a Sentence

He has made inestimable contributions to our society. Einstein's inestimable contributions to science.
Recent Examples on the Web An inestimable chunk belongs to American citizens, permanent residents, and others in the United States neither suspected nor accused of any crime. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 11 Dec. 2023 But Marvel’s co-opting of indies has incurred an inestimable cost. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 11 May 2023 How inestimable is the tenderness of Your love! Woman's Day, 21 Feb. 2023 His influence on global affairs is inestimable. Inkoo Kang, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2022 Trust has an inestimable value. Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2021 Douri, who was nominally a field marshal in the Iraqi army, was a vigorous proponent of the two military adventures, the 1980 invasion of Iran and 1990 annexation of Kuwait, that did inestimable harm to Iraq's economy and standing in the Arab world and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Philip Terzian, Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2020 The man was an inestimable genius. Clark Collis, EW.com, 6 July 2020 On March 13, 2020, our lives changed in inestimable ways. Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inestimable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin inaestimabilis, from in- + aestimabilis estimable

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inestimable was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near inestimable

Cite this Entry

“Inestimable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inestimable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inestimable

adjective
in·​es·​ti·​ma·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈes-tə-mə-bəl How to pronounce inestimable (audio)
1
: impossible to estimate
did inestimable damage
2
: too valuable or excellent to be measured or appreciated
inestimably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on inestimable

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!