the unthinkable

noun

: something that one cannot accept, believe, or imagine

especially : something that is so bad that one does not want to think about it

And then, the unthinkable happened: the car skidded out of control and crashed.

Examples of the unthinkable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Almost all sportsbooks remain significantly vulnerable, especially if the Americans do the unthinkable and win five more games. — Doug Kezirian, New York Times, 1 July 2026

And so millions of us around the world have been trying to reach family members, with no way of knowing whether certain calls go unanswered because of electrical outages, which are common even in ordinary times, or the unthinkable. — Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Then his island nation — population about 156,000, the smallest country ever to reach a World Cup — did the unthinkable. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Deadline has an exclusive first look at the film, co-written by Ponti and Victoria Rose, set in a refugee camp and based on a remarkable true story of two young survivors who fall in love and resolve to do the unthinkable — get married. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 June 2026

Rhymes for the unthinkable

• thinkable