unbreathable

adjective

un·​breath·​able ˌən-ˈbrē-t͟hə-bəl How to pronounce unbreathable (audio)
: not fit for being breathed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Also, a safe is a much better place to store a gun than in an unbreathable gun case which can lead to rust problems. Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 13 Mar. 2023 What retiree wants to live in a world with unbreathable air, undrinkable water, and whole segments of society underemployed? Terrence Keeley, National Review, 25 Jan. 2023 When fires blaze out of control, floods swamp communities, storms flatten buildings, or smoke makes the air unbreathable, people have to flee their homes. WIRED, 11 Jan. 2023 This might have helped lystrosaurus endure an atmosphere that was becoming unbreathable for other animals. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2021 Compared to that, another living world, with its own unique ecology, would most likely have an environment that is unbreathable and infertile at best, lethally toxic at worst. Fredrick Jenet And Teviet Creighton, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2015 What was humanity, for that matter, in this unbreathable sphere? Rebecca Giggs, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022 Unlike Mars, where the very thin atmosphere and relatively high gravity make flying difficult, the atmosphere on Titan is roughly four times denser than ours, although unbreathable, and its gravity is a bit less than on our moon. NBC News, 23 Aug. 2021 Bay Area residents have grown familiar with the smoky skies and unbreathable air that signals the California fire season. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 June 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unbreathable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unbreathable was in 1846

Dictionary Entries Near unbreathable

Cite this Entry

“Unbreathable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unbreathable. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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