as in incredible
too extraordinary or improbable to believe
to most people it seemed unthinkable that such a gentle man could be guilty of such awful crimes
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Recent Examples of unthinkable
The two will have a lot to process after the events in Berlin, especially Sam, who’s endured his second unthinkable hijacking situation in a single lifetime.
—
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
Except for those of you who will suffer unthinkable losses and/or be fired this month.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
News and videos on social media showed Iranians cheering, honking horns, and dancing in the streets of Tehran and other cities to celebrate his death—all actions unthinkable days earlier, amid the government’s ongoing and ruthless crackdown on protesters.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
But social media is full of videos of interceptors and objects flying in the sky, an unthinkable scene in the emirate.
—Dana Khraiche, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unthinkable
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
Except for those of you who will suffer unthinkable losses and/or be fired this month.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
News and videos on social media showed Iranians cheering, honking horns, and dancing in the streets of Tehran and other cities to celebrate his death—all actions unthinkable days earlier, amid the government’s ongoing and ruthless crackdown on protesters.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
But social media is full of videos of interceptors and objects flying in the sky, an unthinkable scene in the emirate.
—Dana Khraiche, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unthinkable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unthinkable
Adjective
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Well, the Santana band of course was just incredible.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2026
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They are known for their incredible kindness and hospitality, which says a lot given the centrality of hospitality to Iranian culture more broadly.—
Talla Mountjoy,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In the very unlikely event that Mann had revealed his private struggles to his visitors, would Sontag have thought better of him?—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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In the years since Boogie Nights, Leo has made an unlikely hit out of The Man in the Iron Mask, then took the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, showing off his range and turning that surreal and often horrifying movie into another $100 million feather in his cap.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Travelers at the airport Monday who heard about the vote were incredulous.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Fellow vegans in the comments were incredulous — what of the bear cub carcass Kennedy claimed to have dumped in Central Park or his lifelong interest in hunting?—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Now, of course, that’s impossible.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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And the notion of Mark Zuckerberg asking Google's Sundar Pichai for permission to use Gemini is almost impossible to imagine.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In the 1990s, when Jackson and a bipartisan coalition reframed Africa as strategic terrain rather than charitable afterthought, dismantling that infrastructure would have been politically inconceivable.—
Alexanderia Baker-Haidara,
semafor.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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Until recently, this nightmarish scenario for Democrats seemed inconceivable.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While certain periods of 19th-century Austin could be considered part of the Wild West, the past decades here have seen the casualty count from gun violence in Austin and statewide grow to previously unimaginable levels.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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Through her determination a national foundation emerged from unimaginable loss.—
Jason Collins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But Kesselman said his sister had unbelievable courage and never complained.—
Natalie McMillan,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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The whole thing is just unbelievable.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unthinkable. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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