unbreathable

adjective

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

Examples of unbreathable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Mars people would live in glass domes, the outlet reported, since the planet’s air, with high levels of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, would be unbreathable. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 One of their schools was closed temporarily when the air became unbreathable due to wildfire smoke. Barry Hatton and Helena Alves, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2023 At the time the game was released on June 6, a devastating series of Canadian wildfires was sending smoke to large swaths of the U.S. and creating nearly unbreathable air. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Aug. 2023 Gun safes are not air-tight, so the keeping a gun in a safe as opposed to an unbreathable hard or soft gun case isn’t as risky in terms of corrosion. Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 13 Mar. 2023 Workers in California and Oregon still have the option of masking up to protect themselves from covid-19, other airborne diseases, or unbreathable air from the raging Canadian wildfires thanks to state laws that prevent a mask ban. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 19 July 2023 The atmosphere is an unbreathable 95 percent carbon dioxide. Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2023 As the cabin overheated, food would begin to spoil, photographic film would be damaged, and materials would begin to break down and off-gas, making the air unbreathable. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2023 Set in Indian capital Delhi, where, in an unbreathable atmosphere, the threat of inter-religious massacres floats in the air, the film follows two brothers, Nadeem and Saud, who along with their assistant, dedicate their lives to save the migratory black kites that are destroyed by human madness. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unbreathable.' 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

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 25 Apr. 2024.

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