unbelievable

[ uhn-bi-lee-vuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. too dubious or improbable to be believed:

   an unbelievable excuse.

2. so remarkable as to strain credulity; extraordinary:

   the unbelievable fury of the storm; an unbelievable athlete.

unbelievable

/ ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbəl /

adjective

1. unable to be believed; incredible or astonishing

Derived Forms

• ˌunbeˌlievaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• unbe·lieva·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbelievable¹

First recorded in 1540–50; un- ¹ + believe ( def ) + -able ( def )

Example Sentences

For someone of my generation, who knew Trump as a cartoonish New York City figure decades before he got into politics, it’s truly unbelievable that he was and will be president again.

From Salon

“He’s special,” James said, “and he has an unbelievable coach that’s going to make sure that he does things the right way.”

From Los Angeles Times

“At our peak, when we had the most notoriety and fame, the pressure was unbelievable,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.

From BBC

“I think that’s part of movie storytelling, but I also was very conscious that I didn’t want it to be unbelievable, even though it looks like an extraordinarily big statement,” Durran says.

From Los Angeles Times

"I would say I am more excited about this cohort and what they can achieve. They have unbelievable potential if they are in the right system."

From BBC

Related Words

• astonishing
• implausible
• impossible
• improbable
• inconceivable
• incredible
• outlandish
• preposterous
• too much
• unimaginable
• unthinkable