unsayable

adjective

Definition of unsayablenext
as in inexpressible

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of unsayable Well-meaning observers want to split the difference between the sayable and unsayable. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026 What the novel is working toward is not the exposure of a violation, let alone the processing of any real-life event, but a recognition of the self—a self who survives the scourges of childhood, and a storytelling-self who learns that fiction can reveal otherwise unsayable truths. — Honor Jones, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 But Woolf’s broad, sweeping pronouncements about what literature is and isn’t capable of were always meant sarcastically; her life’s work, after all, was to push the boundaries of literature so as to say the unsayable. — Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025 All fair, but an uncomfortable couch and a passion for the art of the unsayable are not reasons enough to kill oneself. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsayable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsayable
  1. inexpressible
  2. indefinable
  3. indescribable
  4. unknowable
  5. inexplicable
  6. incomprehensible
  7. unaccountable
  8. unfathomable
Adjective
  • The universe of the film, as all of Nolan’s worlds are, is one drawn from the muted colors of reluctant determination and it’s structured by a gravity of inexpressible guilt.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • Much like the famed British poets of World War I, who sought to express the inexpressible, Abu Toha strives to capture the unspeakable carnage, futility, and despair of war.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of inexpressible
Adjective
  • Our movie tastes are determined by some indefinable electrical current of enthusiasm or joy or deep, radiating sadness, or some combination of the three.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Of course, beauty is subject to taste and culture and all sorts of indefinable things.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of indefinable
Adjective
  • Playing college football has made an indescribable impact on my life.
    — The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her life and legacy of joy and creativity had an indescribable impact on the world.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of indescribable
Adjective
  • In its own way, this novel too experiments with our ability to connect with the unknowable.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The warmth of marital love and feeling so known by someone can be just as true as something more feral and unknowable.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of unknowable
Adjective
  • Keeping her husband happy yet oblivious—managing his baby fever with staged fake miscarriages—only goes so far when Martha begins suffering an inexplicable illness that culminates in an impossible pregnancy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Remedy games encourage a kind of obsession and fascination from players, not just with inexplicable lore but with thick atmosphere.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of inexplicable
Adjective
  • Painfully aware of this, Shawn waited for one of the drunk old men to comment, heckle, make one of those incomprehensible jokes that drew rude laughter from adults.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Sure, the story is incomprehensible, and Dylan is far from a great actor.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of incomprehensible
Adjective
  • This is an entire class of wealthy and unaccountable men thumbing their noses at the American public.
    — Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The bottom line for now is that the city is allowing the unaccountable operation of thousands of untaxed machines while simultaneously counting on revenue from their VGT and casino competitors.
    — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unaccountable
Adjective
  • And given Lambert’s own experiences, might even seem unfathomable.
    — Katie McCurdy, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That might seem almost unfathomable to anyone familiar with the last few years of FSU football, but there's still the lingering questions of Norvell's buyout now coupled with a new AD trying to get his footing in an absolute mess of a situation.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfathomable

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unsay
unsayable
unsaying
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Cite this Entry

“Unsayable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsayable. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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