unbearable

adjective

un·​bear·​able ˌən-ˈber-ə-bəl How to pronounce unbearable (audio)
: not bearable : unendurable
unbearable pain
unbearably adverb

Examples of unbearable in a Sentence

We were in an almost unbearable state of excitement. this heat is unbearable—when are we going to get air-conditioning?
Recent Examples on the Web Until yesterday, people like these were the holdouts; the ones who had a choice but stayed until Port-au-Prince became unbearable. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 May Help Children with Severe Allergies Safely Eat Nuts and Other Foods If your allergies become unbearable, however, there’s really only one permanent cure, Dr. Rosenthal tells PEOPLE. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Many of the Amazon’s 40 million human inhabitants may be displaced by unbearable heat, and Indigenous peoples in particular would lose their livelihoods, ways of life, and knowledge systems. Quentin Septer, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 Once April rolls around, the heat in the desert will become unbearable until fall arrives. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Father and son are on a quest to get to the bottom of almost unbearable truths, but their travels often have the warmth and goofiness of a buddy comedy. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 But if the mission does not come soon, experts and government insiders warn that mounting pressure over Haiti’s unbearable violence is likely to explode. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 The men described in phone interviews unbearable cold, repulsive food, unsanitary conditions and beatings in Penal Colony No. 3 of the remote Yamalo-Nenets region, where Mr. Navalny arrived in December to serve out the remainder of his 19-year old prison sentence. Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 My own childhood was fairly O.K. to begin with, but went off the rails when my parents suffered unbearable tragedies and were given no help in dealing with them. Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unbearable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unbearable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unbearable

Cite this Entry

“Unbearable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unbearable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unbearable

adjective
un·​bear·​able ˌən-ˈbar-ə-bəl How to pronounce unbearable (audio)
ˈən-,
-ˈber-
: greater than can be borne
unbearable pain
unbearably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unbearable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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