unimaginable
/ˌʌnɪˈmædʒɪnəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌnɪˈmædʒɪnəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ə-ˈmaj-nə-bəl, -ˈma-jə-/ (ame, mw)
unimaginable — adjective
1. so extreme in size, degree, or quality that you cannot form a clear picture of i
so extreme in size, degree, or quality that you cannot form a clear picture of it in your mind; beyond what your mind can deal with or accept
For Ayesha, leaving her village was unimaginable — it had been her home for forty years.
pattern: [subject] + be + unimaginable
The cost of the new hospital reached an unimaginable sum of fifty million dollars.
collocation: unimaginable + noun (sum / amount / scale)
Quan found it unimaginable that anyone could be so cruel to a child.
The tsunami wave reached an unimaginable height of thirty metres, destroying everything in its path.
Devika found it unimaginable that her neighbour had been left with no food for three days.
- inconceivable
more formal; often used in abstract or philosophical contexts (e.g. 'inconceivable that the universe had no beginning')
- unthinkable
stronger moral or emotional tone; often implies the idea should not even be considered (e.g. 'unthinkable to betray a friend')
- unbelievable
less formal and more common; can be used for both positive and negative surprises (e.g. 'unbelievable talent')
- imaginable
direct opposite; often used in the phrase 'every imaginable…' to mean all possible kinds
- conceivable
closely related antonym; suggests something can be understood or pictured within the limits of human thought
用法筆記
Commonly used with intensifiers such as 'almost', 'nearly', or 'quite'. Often appears before nouns describing extreme conditions, quantities, or moral situations (pain, wealth, cruelty, destruction, scale).