unbearably
A2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʌnbˈeərəbli/
US
- /ənˈbɛrəbli/
Description
- too much to stand
- intolerably
- painfully
- to an extreme degree
If something is unbearably hot, cold, sad, boring, or frustrating, it is so strong or severe that you can hardly stand it. Imagine a summer day when the heat is not just high, but so strong that you need to get into the shade right away.
The word shows that something has gone past your comfort limit. It is often used for unpleasant physical feelings, emotions, or situations. A room can be unbearably hot, waiting can feel unbearably slow, and a loss can feel unbearably sad. It is usually used for negative things, though it can sometimes describe feelings that are simply too intense to bear.
"Unbearably" describes something so intense, difficult, or unpleasant that it feels almost impossible to endure. It tells you that the experience has gone beyond the normal limit of comfort or patience. For example, if someone says, "The grief was unbearably painful after she lost her mother," it suggests that the sorrow felt overwhelming and very hard to live with.
The word is not just about disliking something. It adds the idea that the feeling or situation is too much to handle. A room might be unbearably hot if the heat feels physically distressing. Silence can feel unbearably awkward when nobody knows what to say. Waiting for important news can seem unbearably long because the tension becomes hard to bear.
This word is often used with physical discomfort, strong emotions, and stressful situations. People use it for heat, pain, sadness, boredom, tension, noise, embarrassment, and similar experiences that push them to their limit. It is most often linked to negative experiences, but it can also be used more broadly for anything felt as overwhelmingly intense, such as music that is unbearably moving.
So when something reaches the point where you feel you can hardly stand it anymore, "unbearably" is a natural choice. It carries the sense of being pushed past what feels manageable, whether the pressure comes from the body, the mind, or the situation around you.
Examples
- 1
Physical discomfort
By midday, the classroom was unbearably hot.
- 2
Exam time
The last few minutes of the exam felt unbearably long.
- 3
Social awkwardness
After he forgot her name, dinner became unbearably awkward.
- 4
Emotional emptiness
For weeks after the breakup, the apartment felt unbearably empty.
- 5
Repetition
His jokes were funny at first, but after an hour they became unbearably repetitive.
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unbearablyadverb