unprovable

/ʌnˈpruː.və.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ʌnˈpruː.və.bəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈprü-və-bəl/ (ame, mw)

unprovable — adjective

  • unprovablepositive
  • more unprovablecomparative
  • most unprovablesuperlative

1. describes a statement or idea that cannot be proved true, even with unlimited ti

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a statement or idea that cannot be proved true, even with unlimited time, evidence, or effort

例句

Jude argued in court that the charge was unprovable because every witness had disappeared.

pattern: unprovable + because-clause

Hannah realised the old family story about hidden treasure was exciting but completely unprovable.

collocation: completely unprovable

同義詞
  • unverifiable

    cannot be checked or confirmed in practice; less absolute than 'unprovable'

  • unfalsifiable

    technical term from philosophy of science; cannot be disproven by any experiment

  • unsubstantiated

    currently lacks supporting evidence but could potentially be proven later

反義詞
  • provable

    can be demonstrated as true using evidence or reasoning

  • verifiable

    can be checked or confirmed against known facts

用法筆記

Used mainly in formal, academic, or legal writing. 'Unprovable' describes an absolute quality — if something is unprovable, it cannot be shown true under any circumstances. Do not confuse with 'unproven', which only means not yet demonstrated.

常見錯誤

His theory is still unprovable, but new technology may help.
His theory is still unproven, but new technology may help.
💡'unproven' means not yet confirmed; 'unprovable' means it can never be confirmed.