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

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.

See Examples For:

unprintable

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

My first reaction to reading about a vote to close the library in Dayton was unprintable.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

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