Unsummable

The adjective 'unsummable' describes something that cannot be added up or totaled. This typically applies to situations where there's an infinite quantity, an undefined value, or the nature of the elements prevents combination into a single, meaningful sum. Think of it as the opposite of something that can be easily quantified and added. It implies a lack of numerical aggregation or a situation where attempting to find a sum would be logically or mathematically impossible, leading to a meaningless or nonsensical result. This concept often appears in abstract mathematical contexts, philosophical debates, and discussions of complex or unquantifiable experiences.

Unsummable meaning with examples

• The artist's creative output, a collection of constantly evolving and diverse projects, was considered unsummable; each piece defied a simple totalization of its artistic worth. Critics found the scope too vast and ever-changing to place a cohesive numerical assessment, appreciating the singular diversity instead.
• In the realm of quantum physics, certain probabilities become unsummable; the observer problem and wave-particle duality create scenarios where the total of potential locations for a subatomic particle can't be definitively reduced to a finite, definite number.
• Her emotional experience, a mixture of joy and sorrow, was deemed unsummable. The impact of each individual emotion and their interactions produced something far more profound and complex than the sum of its parts. Analysis was impossible.
• The consequences of the global ecological crisis are, in their entirety, unsummable. Attempting to reduce this web of interlocking ecological changes to one number would fail to capture the intricate interactions and scope of effects.