unspeakable

[uhn-spee-kuh-buhl]

adjective

1. not speakable; that may not be spoken.

2. exceeding the power of speech; unutterable; inexpressible; indescribable.

   Synonyms: unimaginable, ineffable

3. inexpressibly bad or objectionable.

unspeakable

/ ʌnˈspiːkəbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of expression in words

   unspeakable ecstasy

2. indescribably bad or evil

3. not to be uttered

   unspeakable thoughts

Other Word Forms

• unspeakableness noun
• unspeakably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unspeakable¹

1350–1400; Middle English unspekeabill. See un- ¹, speak ( def. ), -able ( def. )

Example Sentences

Out in the benign but swollen landscape, so placid now but so full of potential unrest, unspeakable things have happened.

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With a lyric about surviving unspeakable loss, it's one of the most raw and adventurous songs in Sheeran's discography.

Read more on BBC

“There are no words that can capture the horror and evil of this unspeakable act,” Frey said at a press conference outside the school.

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In Gaza, the atrocities visited upon children are unspeakable, a violence that staggers the imagination.

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Eugenics gained traction in the early 20th century, most notably in Nazi Germany, where Hitler sought to create a master Aryan race, perpetrating unspeakable atrocities including the Holocaust.

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Related Words

• abominable 
• appalling 
• atrocious 
• awful 
• dreadful 
• heinous 
• horrible 
• inconceivable 
• indescribable 
• ineffable 
• inhuman 
• monstrous 
• odious 
• shocking 
• unbelievable 
• unimaginable