unbearable

[uhn-bair-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not bearable; unendurable; intolerable.

unbearable

/ ʌnˈbɛərəbəl /

adjective

1. not able to be borne or endured

Other Word Forms

• unbearableness noun
• unbearably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbearable¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; un- ¹, bearable

Example Sentences

They said the wait for answers was becoming unbearable.

From BBC

I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.

From BBC

Unlike the fear or false certainty Aronofsky usually produces in his actors’ faces — emotions he loves to revel in until they become almost unbearable — Butler maintains visible conviction.

From Salon

As the UK experiences hotter temperatures families across the country are increasingly feeling the impact, with their homes no longer a sanctuary but an unbearable space that many are desperate to escape.

From BBC

Hadil Abu Zaid, a British doctor with the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians visiting the intensive care unit, in a statement described the scene as “unbearable,” with “trails of blood” across the floor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• a bit much www.thesaurus.com
• insufferable 
• intolerable 
• oppressive 
• unacceptable