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

The two teams were scheduled to play in a rematch Tuesday in Oak Lawn but the game was postponed by a late afternoon storm that rendered the baseball field unplayable. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026

The field was deemed unplayable after the delay. —ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026

And Moe Wagner, once the emotional engine of the second unit, hasn’t been the same since his ACL injury and has been virtually unplayable. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026

For a player who looked unplayable early in the season, that jump is massive. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unplayable

• payable
• playable
• repayable