uncontrollable
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncontrollable
Explanation
Uncontrollable things can't be managed or influenced. An uncontrollable three-year-old can be a handful, while a politician with an uncontrollable desire for power can be dangerous. If you fly off the handle at the smallest irritation, snapping angrily at the people around you, you have an uncontrollable temper. And when you and your best friend burst into giggles in the middle of chemistry class, it's uncontrollable laughter that's going to get you in trouble. When something is controllable, it can be restricted or restrained. Add the "not" prefix un-, and you've got something uncontrollable.
Vocabulary lists containing uncontrollable
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Black's Dissenting Opinion
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"Fear" and "Violence Hits Home"
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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.
Someone might have blepharospasms, a dystonia affecting the muscles around the eyes, which results in uncontrollable twitching and blinking.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026
"You can imagine every time it rains, you just turn that key in the door and just hope that nothing's gone in, but it is one of those uncontrollable things."
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Stalin “possessed both an uncontrollable temper and extraordinary willpower. He was capable of bewildering recklessness and cold-blooded displays of control.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
The Gulf efforts aimed to "avoid an uncontrollable situation in the region", the Saudi official said.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
When they reached the final dead end and it was time to head back home, Thomas felt an almost uncontrollable urge to bag everything and stay there overnight, see what happened.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
