Meanings
inarticulate1
comparative more inarticulate · superlative most inarticulate
- Not articulated in normal words.
Pensak made an inarticulate shout of surprise, and O stepped away from the sudden precipice so hard that she collided with the back of the elevator, and yelped.
2024 September 8, HarryBlank, “Next to Nothing”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 05 Oct 20241 more example
Major Johnstone strove to speak, but the words died in an inarticulate gurgle low in his throat; and Evelyn had only time to start from his knee, and save the dying man from falling to the earth.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXXIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 274 - biologyNot having joints or other articulations.
inarticulate2
plural inarticulates
- obsoletebiologyAn animal belonging to the subphylum Inarticulata.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivewithout or deprived of the use of speech or words
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
inarticulate · adjective
- Latininarticulatus
- Englishinarticulate
From Latin inarticulatus and from in- + articulate. See -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →inarticulate · noun
From the substantivation of the above adjective through the associated taxon's name (Inarticulata). Used by contrast with Articulata.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian неразбираем, безмълвен
- неразбираем (nerazbiraem)not articulated in normal words
- безмълвен (bezmălven)speechless
- нечленоразделен (nečlenorazdelen)unable to speak with clarity
- несъчленен (nesăčlenen)not having joints or other articulations
Esperanto neesprimiĝebla
- neesprimiĝeblanot articulated in normal words
Finnish sanaton, puhekyvytön
- sanatonspeechless
- puhekyvytönunable to speak with clarity
German sprachlos, unfähig zu sprechen
- sprachlosspeechless
- unfähig zu sprechenspeechless
- undeutlichunable to speak with clarity
- unartikuliertunable to speak with clarity
- gliederlosnot having joints or other articulations
Greek άναρθρος
- άναρθρος (ánarthros)unable to speak with clarity
Hungarian artikulálatlan
- artikulálatlannot articulated in normal words
Irish amhlabhrach
- amhlabhrachunable to speak with clarity
Māori pakoki, ngau
- pakokiunable to speak with clarity
- ngauunable to speak with clarity
- nanuunable to speak with clarity
Norwegian Bokmål fåmælt, ute av stand til å si noe
- fåmæltspeechless
- ute av stand til å si noespeechless
Russian невня́тный, неразбо́рчивый
- невня́тный (nevnjátnyj)not articulated in normal words
- неразбо́рчивый (nerazbórčivyj)not articulated in normal words
- нечленоразде́льный (nečlenorazdélʹnyj)not articulated in normal words
- безмо́лвный (bezmólvnyj)speechless
Cite this entry
inarticulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inarticulate
“inarticulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inarticulate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inarticulate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inarticulate.
Source: inarticulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.