inarticulateness
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˌɪnɑːrˈtɪkjʊlɪtnəs/
:
inarticulación
- He was hopeless with the condolences, and she liked him for his inarticulateness.
Examples
-
His inarticulateness surprises him because he makes his living as a teacher and usually talks easily.
Fiction book (1995) -
So there we stood, facing each other, constrained by a mutual inarticulateness.
Academic text (2009) -
How else to explain the uncharacteristic inarticulateness of her father, or the forays of her mother into subjects she normally avoids?
Fiction book (2002) -
During the presentation, his inarticulateness made it difficult for the audience to understand his main points.
-
Her inarticulateness in expressing emotions often led to misunderstandings in her relationships.
-
The child's inarticulateness frustrated his parents, as they struggled to understand what he wanted.
Synonyms
1
8.7
Not being able to speak or write clearly
1
7.5
A lack of clear, organized speech or writing that makes it hard to follow
Not being able to speak clearly so other people understand you
Lack of skill in speaking or writing that makes ideas hard to follow
Antonyms
How Articulate
Surface Forms
Morphology
inarticulateness = inarticulate (transparent) = in + articulate + ness
This is a regular noun formation from the adjective 'inarticulate', meaning the state or quality of being inarticulate.
Etymology
The word inarticulateness is made from in- meaning 'not' and articulate, which means 'able to speak clearly'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of articulate as 'putting words together', so inarticulateness means 'not putting words together well' and not being able to explain ideas clearly.