the unthinkable

noun

: something that one cannot accept, believe, or imagine

especially : something that is so bad that one does not want to think about it

And then, the unthinkable happened: the car skidded out of control and crashed.

Examples of the unthinkable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

More importantly, just 10 minutes of charge provided over half the battery life, and that all is delivered from the unthinkable technology placed into the Taycan and other models. —

Marc D Grasso, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025 Some 40,000 acres and more than 10,000 houses and businesses have been wiped away by the unthinkable havoc which has paralyzed L.A. Through Friday, 10 deaths have been attributed to the fires. —

Jay Paris, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 We are joined now by a young woman who, like so many others, was here on Bourbon Street ringing in the new year when the unthinkable happened. —

Abc News, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2025 Many are personal stories about surviving the unthinkable. —

Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for the unthinkable

Cite this Entry

Style

“The unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20unthinkable. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation