UNTHINKABLE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

unthinkable

adjective

ˌən-ˈthiŋ-kə-bəl

Definition of unthinkable

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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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 Panettiere tenderly conveys the turmoil of being a kid who’s just trying to keep it together in the face of unthinkable circumstances. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 The United States’ drop in credibility has also emboldened many American adversaries to push ahead with initiatives that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz being the prime example. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2026 Los Angeles Times via Getty Images For two consecutive years, the Buss family agreed to something that once seemed unthinkable. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Westbrook walks away as the undisputed Triple-Double King with 209, blowing past Oscar Robertson's once-unthinkable record of 181. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unthinkable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unthinkable

Adjective

Spread across four floors (including an incredible rooftop terrace), this is a spacious home located in the center of Essaouira’s medina and its art galleries.

— Katie Silcox, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2026
Then that incredible precision vanished for an inning — and just an inning.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of incredible

Adjective

Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall has also featured during discussions, but Newcastle baulked at the asking price and a move for the 20-year-old seems unlikely.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Simon Baughen, Professor of Shipping Law at Swansea University, said the path toward claiming Hormuz as a US territory was unlikely to come to fruition.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 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

Riccardo Fabiani, Project Director for North Africa for the International Crisis Group, says the mass crossing seen in Ceuta on July 30 is by nature impossible to blame on a single actor or state.

— Miguel Macias, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
In the film, an impossible snowfall in a Ugandan village becomes a political allegory, echoing colonial intrusion.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of impossible

Adjective

There are plenty of inconceivable exploits in the final season of Outer Banks, in ranging degrees of ridiculousness.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of inconceivable

Adjective

The federal government has continued to print and spend unimaginable amounts of money, even though households and companies own most of the country’s wealth.

— Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Set in 1935, amidst the Great Depression, Season 2 revolves around the bloody massacre of the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to buy ammo and end up facing unimaginable horror.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of unimaginable

Adjective

Matthew Stafford has an unbelievable ability to get the ball out of his hand fast which is hard to get home on.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of unbelievable

Browse Nearby Words

untethers

unthinkable

unthinkably

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“Unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unthinkable. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unthinkable

adjective

Example Sentences

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