incredible

[in-kred-uh-buhl]

adjective

so extraordinary as to seem impossible: incredible speed.

not credible; hard to believe; unbelievable: The plot of the book is incredible.

Origin of incredible

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word incrēdibilis. See in-³, credible

Related formsin·cred·i·bil·i·ty, in·cred·i·ble·ness, nounin·cred·i·bly, adverb

Can be confusedincredible incredulous

Synonyms for incredible

2. farfetched, astonishing, preposterous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incredibility

Historical Examples of incredibility

It was this awesomeness, this incredibility, that overwhelmed her.
The Side Of The Angels
Basil King
Neopa looked at him with her fawn-like eyes large with incredibility and hope.
The Snow-Burner
Henry Oyen
For all its incredibility, the adventure lacks every element of surprise.
A Journal of Impressions in Belgium
May Sinclair
The situation was incredible, and waxed daily in incredibility.
Mr. Prohack
E. Arnold Bennett
But it was idle to talk of the incredibility of such instances.
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the
Thomas Clarkson

British Dictionary definitions for incredibility

incredible

adjective

beyond belief or understanding; unbelievable

informal marvellous; amazing

Derived Formsincredibility or incredibleness, nounincredibly, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for incredibility

incredible

adj.

early 15c., "unbelievable," from Latin incredibilis "not to be believed," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + credibilis "worthy of belief" (see credit). Used c.1400 in a now-extinct sense of "unbelieving, incredulous." Related: Incredibly.