unutterable
Americanadjective
-
not communicable by utterance; unspeakable; beyond expression.
unutterable joy.
-
not utterable; not pronounceable.
an unutterable foreign word.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unutterableness noun
- unutterably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unutterable
1580–90; un- 1 + utterable ( def. )
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.
“Have the merciless persecutions and unutterable tortures of the dark ages not yet opened their eyes and enlarged their heart for the alleviation of their fellow men’s woes?”
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2025
Soon after the Rwanda policy was announced, he issued an Easter message about the "unutterable tragedy" of those who had been "forced to flee their country and seek shelter far from home".
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2022
He feared his heirs might become "unutterable snobs."
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2021
To my mind, these experiences rub our faces in the unutterable weirdness of existence, which transcends all our knowledge and forms of expression.
From Scientific American • Jun. 25, 2021
He speaks through the snakes and he speaks unutterable things.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
