unthinkable
/ʌnˈθɪŋkəbl/ (bre, ipa) · [ənθˈɪŋkəbəl] /ʌnˈθɪŋkəbl/ (ame, ipa) · [ənθˈɪŋkəbəl] /ˌən-ˈthiŋ-kə-bəl How to pronounce unthinkable (audio)/ (ame, mw)
unthinkable — adjective
- unthinkablepositive
- more unthinkablecomparative
- most unthinkablesuperlative
1. so shocking, terrible, or surprising that you cannot believe it could ever happe
so shocking, terrible, or surprising that you cannot believe it could ever happen or be true
It was unthinkable for Amelia to leave her sick grandmother alone at the hospital.
it + be + unthinkable + for + noun + to-infinitive
The villagers considered it unthinkable to build houses on the sacred land.
consider + it + unthinkable + to-infinitive
Twenty years ago, the idea of a cashless society seemed completely unthinkable to most people.
Rania found it unthinkable that her neighbour would refuse to offer help during the flood.
To the team, losing the final match after leading by three goals was simply unthinkable.
- inconceivable
more formal; suggests the idea literally cannot be grasped by the mind
- unimaginable
very close in meaning but slightly less intense; focuses on the inability to form a mental picture
- implausible
weaker; means unlikely or hard to believe, but not truly shocking
- thinkable
rare in everyday speech; used mostly in academic or philosophical contexts
- conceivable
suggests something could possibly happen or exist
- plausible
means reasonable and likely to be true
文法句型
be + unthinkable
it + be + unthinkable + that-clause
it + be + unthinkable + for + noun + to-infinitive
find/consider + it + unthinkable + that-clause/to-infinitive
用法筆記
Common in passive-like constructions where 'it' serves as the grammatical subject. Frequently paired with 'find', 'consider', or 'seem' to express personal judgement. The that-clause pattern emphasises the shocking nature of a specific situation.