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
P. G. Wodehousefound 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
Administrators deemed the field unplayable.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
This is how Solitaire mostly remained until Windows started including ads between draws, some of them un-mutable and unskippable, which made the collection of games nearly unplayable in my eyes.
—Ariana Torrey, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Delta Force almost scratched that itch, but rampant cheating and other issues have made the game almost unplayable.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Immediately after Plouffe stood for an unplayable foul ball, a video of another uncatchable pop-up from the past aired, one that resulted in the former third baseman tripping over the bullpen mound and falling at the Oakland Coliseum.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unplayable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
This is how Solitaire mostly remained until Windows started including ads between draws, some of them un-mutable and unskippable, which made the collection of games nearly unplayable in my eyes.
—Ariana Torrey, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Delta Force almost scratched that itch, but rampant cheating and other issues have made the game almost unplayable.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Immediately after Plouffe stood for an unplayable foul ball, a video of another uncatchable pop-up from the past aired, one that resulted in the former third baseman tripping over the bullpen mound and falling at the Oakland Coliseum.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unplayable
Cite this Entry
“Unplayable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unplayable. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share