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
Parul Sehgal on Toni Morrison’s novels of the unthinkable.
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Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Lil Jon is grieving the unthinkable loss of his son, Nathan Smith.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2026
Jai Lucas, the University of Miami’s 37-year-old first-year coach, has already done the unthinkable.
—Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
So what would be the effects if the unthinkable actually happened?
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the unthinkable
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Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Lil Jon is grieving the unthinkable loss of his son, Nathan Smith.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2026
Jai Lucas, the University of Miami’s 37-year-old first-year coach, has already done the unthinkable.
—Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
So what would be the effects if the unthinkable actually happened?
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the unthinkable
Cite this Entry
“The unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20unthinkable. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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