unthinkable

[uhn-thing-kuh-buhl]

adjective

1. inconceivable; unimaginable.

   the unthinkable size of the universe.

2. not to be considered; out of the question.

   Such a suggestion is unthinkable.

noun

1. something that cannot be conceived or imagined, as something too unusual, vague, or disagreeable.

   Today's unthinkables are tomorrow's realities.

unthinkable

/ ʌnˈθɪŋkəbəl /

adjective

1. not to be contemplated; out of the question

2. unimaginable; inconceivable

3. unreasonable; improbable

Other Word Forms

• unthinkability noun
• unthinkableness noun
• unthinkably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unthinkable¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; un- ¹, thinkable

Example Sentences

The club spent £250m in the summer trying to lift a group of players that had plunged to an unthinkable 15th last season.

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To many who flee, such visibility is unthinkable.

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Within weeks, those mentors were asking an unthinkable question: Had Toner-Rodgers made it all up?

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Extraditing Hasina is unthinkable - India's ruling party and opposition alike view her as a close friend.

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That would have been unthinkable in the early 2010s, when several southern European countries struggled to pay their way, sparking a euro area debt crisis.

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Related Words

• absurd 
• extraordinary 
• illogical 
• implausible 
• impossible 
• improbable 
• inconceivable 
• preposterous 
• rare 
• unbelievable 
• uncommon 
• unimaginable 
• unlikely 
• unreasonable