unplayable

adjective

un·​play·​able ˌən-ˈplā-ə-bəl 

: not capable of being played or suitable to be played : not playable

a golf course rendered unplayable by heavy rains

dealt an unplayable card

music so complex as to be almost unplayable

Service is my strong point at tennis. I am inaccurate, but vigorous, and occasionally send in a quite unplayable shot.

—P. G. Wodehouse

found the ball in an unplayable lie [=a position that does not allow a shot to be made]

Examples of unplayable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gobert was unplayable for parts of the series against the Lakers, and was sometimes benched late in games. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 4 May 2025

Vinicius Jr was unplayable in the first half of this campaign, best summed up by his devastating hat-trick in a 5-2 Champions League comeback win against Borussia Dortmund. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Last season, Arcia was nearly unplayable for the Braves. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Minnesota’s run game was middling at best and unplayable in the red zone. —Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unplayable

• payable
• playable
• repayable