unspeakable

adjective

ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl How to pronounce unspeakable (audio)
Definition of unspeakablenext
as in incredible
beyond the power to describe continually encountered unspeakable beauty in their travels through the Alps

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unspeakable The expressions of dissent were silenced with unspeakable violence. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 Mom and mental health advocate Meghan Cliffel wonders why others only seem concerned about the condition in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy. — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 Traces of fight ing, oppression, destruction and of the unspeakable horrors of genocide overlap and mingle. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 As is true of so many of these events, the unspeakable horror of 9/11 played out live on television news. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unspeakable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unspeakable
  1. incredible
  2. indescribable
  3. unutterable
  4. ineffable
  5. inexpressible
  6. incommunicable
  7. indefinable
Adjective
  • The quick thinking to observe, to then park and follow someone into the school is incredible and undoubtedly saved people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There's an incredible amount to explore between northern lights hunting sessions.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredible
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
  • An idle scroll through any social media feed will reveal violent language against Jewish people that was considered widely unutterable a few years ago.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 1 May 2026
  • Stripped of orchestral arrangement, the emotion in Ross’s voice provokes that unutterable connection that makes singer and listener one in a desire to act in the present for the present.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Dec. 2025
Definition of unutterable
Adjective
  • Both the not said and the unsayable—the ineffable—pull new elements into a telling.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • By definition, an It girl is someone with an ineffable quality—culturally relevant, with that unique blend of beauty, confidence, and magnetism that can’t be taught or bought.
    — Sarah Michelle Gellar, Time, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of ineffable
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
  • But because some crucial part of artistic expression is always slipping toward the incommunicable, the most powerful art is sometimes less a dialogue than a soliloquy.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
  • Margaret would whisper in the dark and laugh quietly, entertained by her own incommunicable thoughts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of incommunicable
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

Browse Nearby Words

unsparingly
unspeakable
unspeakably
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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