insufferable

[in-suhf-er-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not to be endured; intolerable; unbearable.

   their insufferable insolence.

insufferable

/ ɪnˈsʌfərəbəl /

adjective

1. intolerable; unendurable

Other Word Forms

• insufferably adverb
• insufferableness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insufferable¹

First recorded in 1525–35; in- ³ + sufferable ( def. )

Example Sentences

If you’ve made it this far, you may be thinking that the reviewer is one of those insufferable people who criticizes others to burnish his own self-importance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yes, I am an insufferable nerd: I have been coming to things like this for 20 years.

Read more on BBC

Readers who thought “The Poppy War” trilogy didn’t stick the landing, or that Rin became insufferable by the end, will be pleased that “Katabasis” does stick it, and that Alice evolves.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"So I know I'm going to be an insufferable parent. I'll be saying, 'please let me brush your teeth', and the kid's going to be, like, 17."

Read more on BBC

But what kept Marnie from being completely insufferable is that, for all of her bouts of egomania, she was still self-aware enough to know when she was being obnoxious.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• unbearable