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
Revisiting Bob Wilson’s opening line from the G-Mex Centre in Manchester in 1988 helps set the scene for the type of (mid-season for the professionals involved) competition that would be unthinkable now.
—
Stuart James, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
So dominant was this system in the late twentieth century that by the end of the Cold War, an international monetary and financial order without the United States seemed almost unthinkable.
—Ngaire Woods, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
DeChambeau cut McIlroy's lead to just two after 54 holes, which seemed unthinkable with just a few holes to go.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Some Mavericks fans have chosen to don purple and gold Los Angeles Lakers gear inside American Airlines Center, an act that would have been unthinkable before Feb. 1.
—Christian Clark, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unthinkable
Stuart James, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
So dominant was this system in the late twentieth century that by the end of the Cold War, an international monetary and financial order without the United States seemed almost unthinkable.
—Ngaire Woods, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
DeChambeau cut McIlroy's lead to just two after 54 holes, which seemed unthinkable with just a few holes to go.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Some Mavericks fans have chosen to don purple and gold Los Angeles Lakers gear inside American Airlines Center, an act that would have been unthinkable before Feb. 1.
—Christian Clark, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unthinkable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unthinkable
Adjective
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American Express and Chase both have incredible travel rewards programs that offer a wide variety of redemptions and exceptional value.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2025
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That’s not too surprising, as collections packed with greatest hits tend to have incredible staying power, especially in the streaming age.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Butler was incredulous that Curry – harassed by Houston’s long defenders such as Amen Thompson during a three-point, 1-of-10 shooting night – did not get more foul calls.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
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But when President Donald Trump announced an additional 34% universal tariff on Chinese goods on April 2, Zou, who has been exporting to the United States for more than a decade, was incredulous.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Yet such clashes are unlikely as regular-season games in the U.S.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Matt Shaw was 1-for-13 in his first four games at Iowa, so the rookie who started in Japan is unlikely to return from Des Moines any time soon.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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As is often the problem with biopics of all kinds — jukebox musical or not — the sheer scope of a life is impossible to capture in a mere 2 hour runtime.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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And after dark, the dealers were impossible to miss: short young men in hoodies and women in pajama pants, slinking around corners with side packs.—
Jason Motlagh,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In terms of achievements that were once equally preposterous and inconceivable 30 years ago, TCU reaching the Sweet 16 in women’s basketball is on the same level as the school making the national title game in football.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2025
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In fact, the superstructure is estimated to hold an almost inconceivable 200 quadrillion (that's 200 followed by 15 zeros) times the mass of the sun and is more than 1.3 billion light-years long, larger than the Milky Way.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Maggie Friar then faced the unimaginable task of sharing the news of Aaron's death with their two younger daughters.—
Natalie Morales, Richard Fetzer,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Richest 1% Hold $25 Trillion in Stock Wealth: That top 1% owns more than half the total value of the public equity market—a concentration that would have been unimaginable a generation ago notes Inequalty.org.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And so to have someone like Carol Burnett on the show was an unbelievable bucket list dream.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
24 Apr. 2025
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Having the questions drafted by non-lawyers using artificial intelligence is just unbelievable.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unthinkable. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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