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Synonyms

inconceivable

American  
[in-kuhn-see-vuh-buhl] / ˌɪn kənˈsi və bəl /

adjective

  1. not conceivable; unimaginable; unthinkable

  2. unbelievable; incredible.

inconceivable British  
/ ˌɪnkənˈsiːvəbəl /

adjective

  1. incapable of being conceived, imagined, or considered

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • inconceivability noun
  • inconceivableness noun
  • inconceivably adverb

Etymology

Origin of inconceivable

First recorded in 1625–35; in- 3 + conceivable

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Our hearts really do harden when we don’t keep them open, and the only way to keep them tender is to practice love, even when it feels radical or inconceivable.

From Salon

Hope Jezzard's phobia of hospitals was so intense that it seemed inconceivable she would ever work in one.

From BBC

And it all began with a movie that was, to everyone but Rob Reiner, inconceivable.

From The Wall Street Journal

It would be inconceivable to not include “The Princess Bride” in any consideration of Reiner’s best, as the swashbuckling fantasy romance embodies a sense of playful inventiveness and anything-can-happen ethos.

From Los Angeles Times

“It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second.”

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.