unsayable

adjective

Definition of unsayablenext
as in inexpressible

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsayable Both the not said and the unsayable—the ineffable—pull new elements into a telling. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Well-meaning observers want to split the difference between the sayable and unsayable. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026 What the novel is working toward is not the exposure of a violation, let alone the processing of any real-life event, but a recognition of the self—a self who survives the scourges of childhood, and a storytelling-self who learns that fiction can reveal otherwise unsayable truths. — Honor Jones, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 All fair, but an uncomfortable couch and a passion for the art of the unsayable are not reasons enough to kill oneself. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsayable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsayable
  1. inexpressible
  2. indefinable
  3. indescribable
  4. unknowable
  5. inexplicable
  6. incomprehensible
  7. unaccountable
  8. unfathomable
Adjective
  • The universe of the film, as all of Nolan’s worlds are, is one drawn from the muted colors of reluctant determination and it’s structured by a gravity of inexpressible guilt.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • Much like the famed British poets of World War I, who sought to express the inexpressible, Abu Toha strives to capture the unspeakable carnage, futility, and despair of war.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of inexpressible
Adjective
  • Our movie tastes are determined by some indefinable electrical current of enthusiasm or joy or deep, radiating sadness, or some combination of the three.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Of course, beauty is subject to taste and culture and all sorts of indefinable things.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of indefinable
Adjective
  • Playing college football has made an indescribable impact on my life.
    — The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her life and legacy of joy and creativity had an indescribable impact on the world.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of indescribable
Adjective
  • The encouraging part is that undocumented knowledge isn’t unknowable.
    — Balaji Sreenivasan, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In the mid-2000s, Kate Moss was the last of a generation of celebrities who could be simultaneously ubiquitous and unknowable.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of unknowable
Adjective
  • When the doors finally opened, nearly every player was sitting in front of his locker, most still in uniform, waiting to explain what seemed to be inexplicable.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Montanans are suffocating due to an affordability crisis, rising fuel prices and an inexplicable war.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of inexplicable
Adjective
  • Painfully aware of this, Shawn waited for one of the drunk old men to comment, heckle, make one of those incomprehensible jokes that drew rude laughter from adults.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Sure, the story is incomprehensible, and Dylan is far from a great actor.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of incomprehensible
Adjective
  • This is an entire class of wealthy and unaccountable men thumbing their noses at the American public.
    — Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The bottom line for now is that the city is allowing the unaccountable operation of thousands of untaxed machines while simultaneously counting on revenue from their VGT and casino competitors.
    — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unaccountable
Adjective
  • The Baltimore Ravens were in a goal-to-go setting, trailing 23-15 and needing to do the statistically unfathomable — according to CBS, teams behind by 8-plus points inside the final minute had lost 581 straight games.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • From 2021 through last season, the Knicks boasted an unfathomable 18-2 record against their Eastern Conference counterpart Washington Wizards.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfathomable

Browse Nearby Words

unsay
unsayable
unsaying
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Cite this Entry

“Unsayable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsayable. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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