uncontrollable

[ uhn-kuhn-troh-luh-buhl ]

adjective

1. incapable of being controlled or restrained:

   uncontrollable anger.

noun

1. something, as an obligation, that cannot be controlled, reduced, or dispensed with:

   the uncontrollables in the new federal budget.

uncontrollable

/ ˌʌnkənˈtrəʊləbəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being controlled or managed

Derived Forms

• ˌunconˌtrollaˈbility, noun
• ˌunconˈtrollably, adverb

Other Words From

• uncon·trolla·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncontrollable¹

First recorded in 1570–80; un- ¹ + control + -able

Example Sentences

But when lithium batteries are corrupted, they can experience thermal runaway – meaning a cell undergoes uncontrollable temperature rises, making a fire hard to control and extinguish.

From BBC

Seizures can affect people in different ways but can include uncontrollable jerking and shaking, losing awareness or collapsing.

From BBC

Davis stumbled on a text chain on Richardson’s phone showing him exchanging lurid texts with another woman, putting his by-the-by remarks about his uncontrollable tumescence into eye-opening context.

From Salon

By encouraging nationalists and then occasionally reining them in, the government “harnesses nationalism to its advantage, only intervening when it risks spilling over” into an uncontrollable situation.

From BBC

"The cushions are unplayable, uncontrollable," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• fractious
• intractable
• irresistible
• lawless
• undisciplined
• unmanageable
• unruly
• violent