What does uncountable mean?
Uncountable is a grammatical term for nouns that cannot normally be treated as separate countable items or given a regular plural. Examples include “information,” “advice,” “equipment,” “furniture,” “water,” and “money.” Such nouns normally appear in the singular and are measured with words such as “much,” “little,” “some,” and “an amount of,” rather than ordinary numerical counting. Grammarians also call them mass nouns or non-count nouns, although the classification can depend on meaning: “a piece of furniture” and “a chocolate” are possible when an individual item is intended. As an adjective, uncountable describes this class of nouns; as a noun, it refers to a member of that class. The term is especially useful in language teaching because it explains why standard noun-formation rules do not apply to words such as “information” and “equipment.” It also reveals that grammatical countability is not always an inherent physical property: context can determine whether a noun is being used as a mass or a countable expression.
Denoting a noun that cannot normally be counted or expressed as a plural.
"Water is an uncountable noun, so we say “some water,” not “two waters.”"
Often used with “noun”; “mass” and “non-count” are common alternatives in grammatical descriptions.
A noun that belongs to the uncountable class of nouns.
"For the purposes of the exercise, she treated every abstract concept as an uncountable."
This metalinguistic use is chiefly found in grammar and language teaching.
The plural refers to multiple nouns or examples from the grammatical category; it does not imply that the mass nouns discussed have regular plurals.
"The guide distinguishes countables from uncountables."
Some things are easy to count until grammar decides they are not: a room of chairs may become “furniture,” and a shelf of books may become “information.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does uncountable come from?
Uncountable was formed in English by adding the negative prefix un- to countable. Countable comes from count, a word borrowed through Old French from Latin computare, meaning “to calculate” or “reckon.” That Latin root also underlies related English words including recount, account, and discount, reflecting the shared sense of calculating or reckoning.
Related word forms
How uncountable is actually used
This term is chiefly used in grammar and linguistics, where “uncountable noun” is also commonly called a “mass noun” or “non-count noun.” Some nouns change category according to meaning and context: for example, “chocolate” may refer to the substance generally, while “a chocolate” denotes an individual item. There is no significant regional difference between British and American usage.
Easily confused with uncountable
A countable noun can be treated as singular or plural, whereas an uncountable noun normally has only a singular form and is used with mass quantifiers such as “some” or “much.”