unspeakable

adjective

un·​speak·​able ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl 

1

a

: incapable of being expressed in words : unutterable

b

: inexpressibly bad : horrendous

unspeakable living conditions

unspeakable evil

2

: that may not or cannot be spoken

the bawdy thoughts that come into one's head—the unspeakable words

—L. P. Smith

unspeakable collections of consonants

—Rosemary Jellis

unspeakably

ˌən-ˈspē-kə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• incommunicable
• indefinable
• indescribable
• ineffable
• inenarrable
• inexpressible
• nameless
• uncommunicable
• unutterable

Examples of unspeakable in a Sentence

the unspeakable horror of war

continually encountered unspeakable beauty in their travels through the Alps

Recent Examples on the Web

The unspoken, the unspeakable, is more frightening than anything else in the novel. —Adam Begley, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025

The Holocaust was an episode of unspeakable horror, enacted by a regime of evil men. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025

The difference, of course, is that this time the storm is driven not by sorrow and unspeakable horror but by joy and—for the first time in more than 15 months—the possibility of hope. —Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2025

We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

unspeakable

adjective

un·​speak·​able ˌən-ˈspē-kə-bəl 

ˈən-

1

: impossible to express in words

unspeakable beauty of the sunset

2

: extremely bad

unspeakable conduct

unspeakably

-blē 

adverb