unthinkable

adjective

ˌən-ˈthiŋ-kə-bəl How to pronounce unthinkable (audio)
Definition of unthinkablenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unthinkable That ordering would have been unthinkable in 2024, when benchmark scores sold deals. — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Democrats were right to insist that those concerns be addressed, and over the course of these negotiations, Republicans and the White House acepted ethics provisions that would have been unthinkable only months ago. — Anthony Scaramucci, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 Universal Creative, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences, and especially the Universal Studios Hollywood team led by Jon Corfino, have accomplished what, just 10 years ago, would have been unthinkable. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unthinkable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unthinkable
  1. incredible
  2. unlikely
  3. incredulous
  4. impossible
  5. inconceivable
  6. unimaginable
  7. unbelievable
Adjective
  • Spot an incredible variety of wildlife, including sea lions, sea otters, porpoises, bald eagles and puffins.
    — Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • What excited us about the Daisy Chain Reaction was the opportunity to give Olivia Rodrigo’s incredible community of fans that extra invitation to take that first step.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • After 40, about half are abnormal and unlikely to result in pregnancy.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • There is even a brief potential window for a few tiny raindrops in the Sacramento area Wednesday, although any rain on the radar is unlikely to reach the ground.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unlikely
Adjective
  • Besides, there are tree branches to bundle, coupons to clip, guacamole to toss out, incredulous news reports to run through Snopes and at least 20 spam texts to block.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • His incredulous response opens the door to a fight that escalates quickly.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredulous
Adjective
  • The visions of Dreamers can be fraught with symbolism and almost impossible to understand.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In many situations, landing a drone to replace a battery can be too dangerous or simply impossible.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of impossible
Adjective
  • After already undergoing two Tommy John surgeries to repair his UCL, Antone would now need an inconceivable third.
    — Cal Phillips, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, my mind wanders to a question that feels inconceivable.
    — Ayana Lage, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of inconceivable
Adjective
  • Tens of thousands of men, women, and children died in unimaginable circumstances.
    — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Inter of Italy and Spain’s Barcelona were possible destinations, but instead Campbell shocked English football and caused unimaginable consternation and fury… by joining Arsenal.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of unimaginable
Adjective
  • Yet the procedural is so formulaic and the twists so unbelievable that even the most lackadaisical viewer will likely solve the mysteries long before the truth is revealed.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Deception has always existed in business, but AI has magnified it to unbelievable levels.
    — Muhamad Aly Rifai, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of unbelievable

Browse Nearby Words

untethers
unthinkable
unthinkably
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unthinkable. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unthinkable

Nglish: Translation of unthinkable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All