unspeakable
adjective
un·speak·able
ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl 
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
L. P. Smithunspeakable collections of consonants—Rosemary Jellis
Rosemary JellisExamples of unspeakable in a Sentence
the unspeakable horror of war
continually encountered unspeakable beauty in their travels through the Alps
Recent Examples on the Web
Harwicz’s books are most generously appreciated as spelunking missions into the cave of the unwell mind, untethered from our op-ed pages or the unspeakable carnage available to us every day on our Instagram reels.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
Combatting anti-Semitism might seem like a diversion from the more urgent work of opposing war and occupation, especially after two years of unspeakable carnage in Gaza—but this issue is far too important for the pro-Palestinian movement to ignore.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
And just about everything unspeakable Ed does can, in this telling, be traced back to her.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
What is perhaps more unspeakable is that 30 Border Patrol agents called the Chicago Police Department for assistance after a mob formed around the crime scene, and the Chicago Police Department’s Chief of Patrol instructed his officers to STAND DOWN.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unspeakable
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.
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
Combatting anti-Semitism might seem like a diversion from the more urgent work of opposing war and occupation, especially after two years of unspeakable carnage in Gaza—but this issue is far too important for the pro-Palestinian movement to ignore.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
And just about everything unspeakable Ed does can, in this telling, be traced back to her.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
What is perhaps more unspeakable is that 30 Border Patrol agents called the Chicago Police Department for assistance after a mob formed around the crime scene, and the Chicago Police Department’s Chief of Patrol instructed his officers to STAND DOWN.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unspeakable
Cite this Entry
“Unspeakable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unspeakable. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unspeakable
adjective
un·speak·able
ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl
ˈən-
1
: impossible to express in words
unspeakable beauty of the sunset
2
: extremely bad
unspeakable conduct
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share