unspeakable

un·speak·able | \ ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl

How to pronounce unspeakable (audio)

\

Definition of unspeakable

1a : 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

Other Words from unspeakable Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about unspeakable

Keep scrolling for more

Examples 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 The past decade brought Arizona unspeakable tragedy with the shooting of a Congresswoman and wildfires that set records for acreage burned and lives lost. — Ryan Randazzo, azcentral, "These 20 Arizona stories from 2010 to 2020 captured our attention as they shocked, divided and united us," 27 Dec. 2019 Ragnow left his workout immediately and made the 10-hour drive back to Minnesota to help the Hed family get through their unspeakable tragedy. — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, "My Cause, My Cleats: Lions players wear their hearts on their shoes in name of fundraising," 7 Dec. 2019 After that shooting, Hebb went downstairs to find Doughty inflicting unspeakable horror on O’Connor, officials said. — BostonGlobe.com, "Two life sentences for man convicted of double slaying in Peabody - The Boston Globe," 1 Oct. 2019 Luke's exile Luke agrees to train Leia and Han’s son in the ways of the Force, but his fear over Ben turning to the Dark Side prompts an unspeakable act: Luke tries to kill Ben in his sleep, but the padawan stops him. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "'A long time ago': A Star Wars timeline," 6 Dec. 2019 That's why Seventeen designed an edition specifically for all of your most unspeakable queries. — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "Seventeen's New Embarrassing Questions Issue Is Here To Save Your Life," 12 Nov. 2019 That's really the girl who bullied her, and there's a creepy masked Surgeon (Ian Roberts) standing by to inflict unspeakable torments. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Guests get more than they bargained for in trailer for Fantasy Island reboot," 11 Nov. 2019 Nick, a British native, was leaving his home in London for a business trip in Houston, while Diane was returning to her native Texas after a family vacation in the U.K. Then unspeakable tragedy struck. — Nick Maslow, PEOPLE.com, "Husband and Wife Who Met While Stranded Because of 9/11 Reveal the Lesson of Their Love Story," 11 Sep. 2019 Since the beginning of this case, our hearts have been with the families of the 36 victims that died in this unspeakable tragedy. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Ghost Ship trial: Max Harris walks out of jail after acquittal; Derick Almena remains jailed after mistrial in his case," 5 Sep. 2019

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about unspeakable

Dictionary Entries near unspeakable

unspeakableness

Statistics for unspeakable

Last Updated

7 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Unspeakable.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unspeakable. Accessed 20 January 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for unspeakable

unspeakable

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unspeakable

: very bad or evil

: impossible to describe in words

See the full definition for unspeakable in the English Language Learners Dictionary

unspeakable

un·speak·able | \ ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl

\

Kids Definition of unspeakable

1 : impossible to express in words unspeakable beauty

2 : extremely bad unspeakable conduct

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

dauntless

not to be intimidated or subdued

Test Your Vocabulary

The Eponym Quiz

Which is the best synonym of bowdlerize?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.