unimaginable

adjective

un·​imag·​in·​able
ˌən-ə-ˈmaj-nə-bəl,
-ˈma-jə- How to pronounce unimaginable (audio)
: not imaginable or comprehensible
unimaginable horror
unimaginably
ˌən-ə-ˈmaj-nə-blē
-ˈma-jə How to pronounce unimaginable (audio)
adverb

Examples of unimaginable in a Sentence

the unimaginable horrors of war a disaster of almost unimaginable proportions This technology would have been unimaginable five years ago.
Recent Examples on the Web Terry shouldered an unimaginable burden when teammate and fellow defensive lineman Brandon Smith was found shot and killed the night before Manchester’s state title game in December. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024 Just days later, former radio personality Steffan Tubbs began his podcast about the sensational case and the unimaginable news. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, the show invests in the messy lives of the Oxford Five and their flirtations with a futuristic piece of technology that plunges its wearer into an unimaginable world of riddles, mathematics, and roleplaying. Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Democratized access to powerful tools, highly scalable infrastructure, and APIs allows small teams to punch above their weight in ways unimaginable even 10 years ago. Martin Mignot, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 Only a handful of operators worldwide, however, have the expertise, clout and ambition to make the unimaginable real. The Editors, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 But even one could be catastrophic for both the region and Washington, not to mention the untold number of unimaginable crises that could proliferate if the United States decides to leave the Middle East. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024 Fossils reveal the diversity of life that has flourished and disappeared over millennia, and graves tell the stories of humans who lived through unimaginable hardship centuries ago. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 The lesson here is that even though trees came late to the evolutionary party here on our own planet, life on earth would be pretty unimaginable without our remaining majestic forests. Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unimaginable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unimaginable was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near unimaginable

Cite this Entry

“Unimaginable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unimaginable. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on unimaginable

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!