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

There couldn’t have been a more challenging game than that, and he won in such unbelievable fashion.

From Washington Post

It was unbelievable to me that folks who call themselves patriots would actually be trying to overthrow the government and stop us from doing our constitutional duty to certify the ballots.

From Fortune

This is just another consequence of a truly shocking and unbelievable day in American history.

From Washington Post

Even if it was just an hour to Germany, the hour time difference, the going through airports on both sides led to unbelievable tiredness… just for a 60-minute presentation.

From Digiday

“It feels really unbelievable,” said Roudabeh Kishi, director of research and innovation with the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

From FiveThirtyEight

Animals jumped through unbelievable hoops and seemingly appeared out of thin air.

From The Daily Beast

Manson seemed to breathe soundlessly, to walk with unbelievable silence over creaky floors.

From The Daily Beast

Coltrane, a man of almost unbelievable gentleness made human to us lesser mortals by his very occasional rages.

From The Daily Beast

And though the theology of Left Behind is strange and unbelievable, it also could, in the right hands, inspire a hell of a story.

From The Daily Beast

“That is an unbelievable amount of money—as in, I literally did not believe that,” Oliver said.

From The Daily Beast

It was a pool-side scene, with hotel and tropical palms against an unbelievable blue sky.

From Project Gutenberg

Too much that was unbelievable by old standards had happened around him.

From Project Gutenberg

It was almost unbelievable to herself that her life could be permeated by a thing Edith knew nothing about.

From Project Gutenberg

The thing sounds unbelievable, and ridiculous; but she wanted to keep me forever at the age of thirteen and a half.

From Project Gutenberg

"It's more than interesting, it's marvelous, it's unbelievable," answered the detective quietly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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