Definition of unspeakable
1a : incapable of being expressed in words : unutterableb : 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
Read the Latest from M-W
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
-
It was supposed to just be a quick trip to the beach, but the Saturday afternoon diversion to the water almost ended in unspeakable tragedy for Roberta Ursrey and her family.
-
This moment of early white nationalism gave birth to a civic narrative with an insurmountable task — making a visual declaration of the unspeakable.
-
The horror of a Sandy Hook -- however unspeakable -- ultimately became just a headline rather than a trend line auguring momentum for sensible gun control measures or mental health treatment reforms.
-
That tells you the periodic, and unspeakable, slaughters are an aberration committed by criminals and the mentally unbalanced.
-
And in the void that was left, unspeakable grief, mind-numbing shock, that comes in waves.
-
But through it all, unspeakable sins were committed on children.
-
The cases are messy and emotionally charged, littered with unthinkable and unspeakable acts and filled with legal minefields and life-changing stigmas, guilty or not.
-
That's because Nokie's special needs are the result of unspeakable abuse.
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
UNSPEAKABLE Defined for English Language Learners
unspeakable
playDefinition of unspeakable for English Language Learners
-
: very bad or evil
-
: impossible to describe in words
UNSPEAKABLE Defined for Kids
unspeakable
playDefinition of unspeakable for Students
1 : impossible to express in words unspeakable beauty
2 : extremely bad unspeakable conduct
unspeakably
\-blē\ adverbLearn More about unspeakable
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unspeakable Spanish Central: Translation of unspeakable Nglish: Translation of unspeakable for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up unspeakable? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!