unbearable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unbearableness noun
- unbearably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unbearable
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; un- 1, bearable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not an iota of care for Mathew Shurka, “an amicus who received conversion therapy as a child,” who is a living example of the unbearable price paid for framing talk therapy as nothing but speech.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
If both sides decide the costs of the war are becoming unbearable, they could cut an agreement that stops the fighting while deferring decisions on the toughest issues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
"Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. We are in agony. It is unbearable," popular morning show presenter Savannah Guthrie said in an interview with fellow NBC News anchor Hoda Kotb.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
Plain language, ordinary intimacies—Ebert’s directness makes it possible to feel the moment with nearly the same unbearable immediacy that Penn creates in the film.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
The thermometer was dropping; my life, which before had been only solitary and miserable, became unbearable.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
