unplayable

adjective

un·​play·​able ˌən-ˈplā-ə-bəl 

: not capable of being played or suitable to be played : not playable

a golf course rendered unplayable by heavy rains

dealt an unplayable card

music so complex as to be almost unplayable

Service is my strong point at tennis. I am inaccurate, but vigorous, and occasionally send in a quite unplayable shot.

—P. G. Wodehouse

found the ball in an unplayable lie [=a position that does not allow a shot to be made]

Examples of unplayable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jameis Winston looked unplayable Monday night against the Rams. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

If Jackson keeps this up, the veteran right tackle could be unplayable. — Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026

In the first round, Zeynep Sönmez was unplayable for four games early in the second set. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Eventually, though, the centralized platform servers containing those crucial patches will shut down, turning countless game discs into essentially unplayable coasters. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unplayable

• payable
• playable
• repayable