adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ʌnˈθɪŋkəbəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AH0 N TH IH1 NG K AH0 B AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
That cannot be believed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonyms: inconceivable, imponderable
Nothing is unthinkable, nothing impossible to the balanced person, provided it comes out of the needs of life and is dedicated to life's further development - Lewis Mumford
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: inconceivable, imponderable
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Extremely improper; extremely at odds with norms of expected behavior.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Something, or various things collectively, that one dare not think about, dare not do, or dare not think about doing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonym: unspeakable
do the unthinkable
did the unthinkable
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unspeakable
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective
Meaning 5
incapable of being conceived or considered
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: thinkable
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-West Germanic *þankijan Old English þenċan Middle English thinken English think Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unthinkable From un- + think + -able.
Across languages
Translations
57 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
لَا يَخْطُرُ عَلَى الْبَالِ
(lā yaḵṭuru ʕalā l-bāli)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Bulgarian:
немислим
(nemislim)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Catalan:
impensable
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Danish:
utænkelig
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Danish:
utrolig
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Dutch:
ondenkbaar
— incapable of being believed; incredible
French:
incroyable
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Georgian:
დაუჯერებელი
(dauǯerebeli)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Georgian:
წარმოუდგენელი
(c̣armoudgeneli)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
German:
unvorstellbar
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Hindi:
कल्पनातीत
(kalpanātīt)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Hindi:
अकल्पनीय
(akalpanīya)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Hungarian:
hihetetlen
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Italian:
impensabile
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Korean:
상상도 할 수 없는
(sangsang-do hal su eomneun)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Norwegian Nynorsk:
utenkjeleg
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Polish:
niewiarygodne
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Portuguese:
impensável
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Romanian:
neimaginabil
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Romanian:
de neimaginat
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Romanian:
incredibil
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Romanian:
negândibil
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Romanian:
imposibil
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Russian:
немы́слимый
(nemýslimyj)
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Swedish:
otänkbar
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Turkish:
düşünülemez
— incapable of being believed; incredible
Arabic:
لَا يَخْطُرُ عَلَى الْبَالِ
(lā yaḵṭuru ʕalā l-bāli)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Bulgarian:
невероятен
(neverojaten)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Catalan:
impensable
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Danish:
utænkelig
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Esperanto:
nepensebla
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Finnish:
käsittämätön
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
French:
inconcevable
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
French:
impensable
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
French:
inimaginable
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Georgian:
წარმოუდგენელი
(c̣armoudgeneli)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
German:
undenkbar
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
German:
unvorstellbar
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Greek:
αδιανόητος
(adianóitos)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Hindi:
अकल्पनीय
(akalpanīya)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Hindi:
कल्पनातीत
(kalpanātīt)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Hungarian:
elképzelhetetlen
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Latin:
incōgitābilis
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Norwegian Bokmål:
utenkelig
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Norwegian Nynorsk:
utenkeleg
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Norwegian Nynorsk:
utenkjeleg
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Plautdietsch:
ondenkjboa
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Portuguese:
impensável
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Romanian:
de neconceput
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Romanian:
inconceptibil
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Romanian:
inimaginabil
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Romanian:
neimaginabil
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Russian:
немы́слимый
(nemýslimyj)
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Spanish:
impensable
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Swedish:
otänkbar
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Turkish:
düşünülemez
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
Turkish:
kavranılamaz
— inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense
