unprintable

American

[uhn-prin-tuh-buhl] / ʌnˈprɪn tə bəl /

adjective

improper or unfit for print, especially because of obscenity or offensiveness.

unprintable British

/ ʌnˈprɪntəbəl /

adjective

unsuitable for printing for reasons of obscenity, libel, bad taste, etc

"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

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of unprintable

First recorded in 1855–60; un- ¹ + printable

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.

Besides, gold and silver alone were money in Bagehot’s opinion, and they were unprintable.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The same people showering Triple H with unprintable language were likely a little bit miffed to see Cena win his inevitable third, eighth or fifteenth championship.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025

I haven’t responded to my stepsister because I know it will be something unprintable if I do.

From Slate • Oct. 5, 2023

Much of what is written on chats in condos is unprintable on a grown-up news website, let alone a children's game.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2022

But Dad hated unprintable words, and the fact that he had stood up for his son didn’t prevent him from holding a full-dress court of inquiry once he got home, and administering the called-for punishment.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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