unspeakable

adjective un·speak·able \ ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Examples: unspeakable in a Sentence

Definition of unspeakable

1 a : incapable of being expressed in words : unutterable

b : inexpressibly bad : horrendous

unspeakable living conditions

unspeakable evil

2 : that may not or cannot be spoken

the bawdy thoughts that come into one's head — the unspeakable words
—L. P. Smith

unspeakable collections of consonants
—Rosemary Jellis

—

unspeakably

play \ˌən-ˈspē-kə-blē\ adverb

See unspeakable defined for English-language learners

See unspeakable defined for kids

Examples of unspeakable in a Sentence

the unspeakable horror of war
continually encountered unspeakable beauty in their travels through the Alps

Recent Examples of unspeakable from the Web

If combating that unspeakable evil — by securing a vote on legislation to reassert congressional authority over tariffs — required blocking the president’s judicial appointments, so be it.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Jeff Flake Flakes, Says He Won’t Block Trump’s Supreme Court Pick," 28 June 2018
The assumption, dropped amid the cheerful stories of burgeoning careers and domestic scenes of stressful sweetness, that there is hidden unspeakable violence in the world, provides the pivot for the play.

— chloe schama, Vogue, "Theater Can Be Dishearteningly Inaccessible. Carey Mulligan’s Devastating New Play Is Changing That.," 27 June 2018
In Syria and Iraq, the unspeakable acts of Islamic State were proportional to the speed of the terror group’s collapse.

— mark sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, "Nigeria’s schoolgirl rebellion," 26 June 2018
The day after the unspeakable tragedy that was the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando.

— meghan trainor, Billboard, "Meghan Trainor: Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community," 11 June 2018
Before becoming an outspoken pillar of Philly’s sizable Liberian community, Woewiyu allegedly played an integral part in stoking ethnic tensions that led to unspeakable violence.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Schools buy war-zone trauma kits, Trump-Kim summit recap | Morning Newsletter," 12 June 2018
Edwards wasn’t arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury until 2016 but is now facing up to 20 years in prison for his unspeakable actions.

— Essence.com, "White Manager Pleads Guilty To Enslaving Black Mentally Disabled Worker," 7 June 2018
There is no doubt that a nuclear detonation would be an unspeakable and complex tragedy.

— irwin redlener, Time, "This Is What You Should Do During a Nuclear Alert," 19 Jan. 2018
Those are unspeakable sadnesses, mine to acknowledge but not mine to share.

— stella bugbee, The Cut, "Remembering the Magic of Kate Spade," 5 June 2018

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

First Known Use of unspeakable

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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unspeakable Synonyms

UNSPEAKABLE Defined for English Language Learners

unspeakable

adjective

Definition of unspeakable for English Language Learners

: very bad or evil
: impossible to describe in words

UNSPEAKABLE Defined for Kids

unspeakable

adjective un·speak·able \ ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl \

Definition of unspeakable for Students

1 : impossible to express in words

unspeakable beauty

2 : extremely bad

unspeakable conduct

—

unspeakably

\-blē\ adverb

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unspeakable Spanish Central: Translation of unspeakable Nglish: Translation of unspeakable for Spanish speakers

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unspeakable

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unspeakably

Examples of unspeakable in a Sentence

Recent Examples of unspeakable from the Web

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unspeakable Synonyms

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UNSPEAKABLE Defined for English Language Learners

unspeakable

Definition of unspeakable for English Language Learners

UNSPEAKABLE Defined for Kids

unspeakable

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unspeakably

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