unimaginable
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˌʌnɪmˈædʒɪnəbəl/
US
- /ˌənɪˈmædʒɪnəbəl/
Description
- Too great to be imagined
- incredible
- beyond belief
Sometimes, something happens that is so shocking, so huge, or so wonderful that your mind simply cannot take it in. That is when you describe it as unimaginable. It does not mean impossible; it means beyond what you could picture in your mind.
Think about seeing a sunrise so beautiful that you cannot find the right words, or hearing news that completely changes your life. These experiences can feel unimaginable. The word often carries a sense of wonder, but it can also describe something very bad, such as an unimaginable tragedy. It is about scale or impact: the thing feels beyond what a person can fully imagine.
The word unimaginable describes something so extraordinary, immense, or shocking that it is impossible to fully comprehend or picture. It goes beyond merely being hard to believe; it suggests that the mind struggles to form a clear idea of it at all.
You might use unimaginable when describing vastness: "The scale of the universe is truly unimaginable." You could also use it for something deeply positive, as in "The joy she felt at seeing her newborn child was unimaginable." However, it is also frequently used to convey horror or devastation. For example, "The suffering caused by the war was unimaginable" paints a picture of pain so profound that words fail to capture its full extent.
Unlike "impossible," which suggests that something cannot happen, unimaginable focuses on our limited ability to imagine it. Something can be unimaginable and still be real; it simply stretches the boundaries of human understanding.
The word often implies strong emotional impact; an unimaginable event is not just large in scale, but also deeply affecting. It is a powerful descriptor used to emphasize something far beyond everyday experience or expectations. So when you encounter something that leaves you speechless and struggling for words, it might be unimaginable.
Examples
- 1
Physical pain
After the accident, he was in unimaginable pain.
- 2
Technology change
For my grandparents, video calls with family overseas would once have been unimaginable.
- 3
Damage scale
The storm caused damage on an unimaginable scale.
Pattern
on a + adjective + scale
of that size or extent
- 4
Crisis decision
She had to make an unimaginable choice in the middle of the crisis.
- 5
Hard to believe
It is unimaginable that the town could rebuild so quickly after the fire.
Pattern
it is unimaginable that ...
used to say something seems almost impossible to believe
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unimaginableadjective