What does "unspeakable" mean?
Something that cannot or must not be spoken about.
Unspeakable
adj, noun
adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that cannot or must not be spoken about.
- Grammar: unspeakable is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: indescribable, unutterable, abominable, abominable.
- Useful contrasts: articulable, describable, expressible.
- Usage evidence: We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children, if the unspeakable happened to us.
How to use "unspeakable"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "unspeakable" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "unspeakable" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "unspeakable" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "unspeakable" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "unspeakable" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "indescribable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "unspeakable", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that cannot or must not be spoken about.
"Near-synonym: unthinkable"
Adjective
- 1 Incapable of being spoken or uttered.
"1855-1882, Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, book xv, The endless pride and outstretching of man, unspeakable joys and sorrows."
- 2 Impossible to speak about.
"It is true that during the first week hardly a day passed that Erskine did not address himself to Watt, on the subject of Watt's duties. But in the first week Watt's words had not yet begun to fail him, or Watt's world to become unspeakable."
- 3 Unfit or not permitted to be spoken or described.
"The miser will remember his hoard of gold, the robber his ill-gotten wealth, the angry and revengeful and merciless murderers their deeds of blood and violence in which they revelled, the impure and adulterous the unspeakable and filthy pleasures in which they delighted."
- 4 Extremely bad or objectionable.
"an unspeakable fool"
- 5 That cannot be referenced in source code, due to having no usable name. not-comparable
"an instance of an unspeakable type"
Adjective
- 1 defying expression or description wordnet
- 2 exceptionally bad or displeasing wordnet
- 3 too sacred to be uttered wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children, if the unspeakable happened to us."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "unspeakable"?
Common synonyms include: indescribable, unutterable, abominable, abominable, abusive, appalling.
How do you use "unspeakable" in a sentence?
We have to imagine what it would be like for our family, for our children, if the unspeakable happened to us.
Etymology
From Middle English unspekable, equivalent to un- + speakable.