unspeakable

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

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

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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

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.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "A riptide swept away a Florida family. Then beachgoers formed a human chain.," 11 July 2017
This moment of early white nationalism gave birth to a civic narrative with an insurmountable task — making a visual declaration of the unspeakable.

— sarah lewis, New York Times, "Which Is the Real Confederate Flag?," 25 June 2017
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.

— aaron david miller, CNN, "After Alexandria, is there a way forward?," 15 June 2017
That tells you the periodic, and unspeakable, slaughters are an aberration committed by criminals and the mentally unbalanced.

— stu bykofsky, Philly.com, "After a bloody baseball practice, guns remain king, but the culture is changing," 14 June 2017
And in the void that was left, unspeakable grief, mind-numbing shock, that comes in waves.

— alejandra matos, Washington Post, "At funeral, slain 18-year-old Artem Ziberov recalled as smart, humorous student," 10 June 2017
But through it all, unspeakable sins were committed on children.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Joe Paterno legacy forever stained by sins of omission," 4 June 2017
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.

— deanna boyd, star-telegram.com, "Child abuse trials: ‘There are no higher stakes’," 31 May 2017
That's because Nokie's special needs are the result of unspeakable abuse.

— laura bruck, cleveland.com, "Tiny survivor Nokie chooses love and forgiveness over holding a grudge," 29 May 2017

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 Synonyms

Synonyms

incommunicable, indefinable, ineffable, inenarrable, inexpressible, nameless, uncommunicable, indescribable, unutterable

Antonyms

communicable, definable, expressible, speakable

Related Words

unsayable; inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable; inexplicable, unexplainable; characterless, featureless, nondescript

Near Antonyms

conceivable, imaginable, thinkable

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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Examples of unspeakable in a Sentence

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First Known Use of unspeakable

unspeakable Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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UNSPEAKABLE Defined for English Language Learners

unspeakable

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unspeakable

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