inconceivable, unthinkable
- inconceivable, unthinkable
Inconceivable means "incredible," "incapable of being explained," "incapable of being conceived or visualized in one's mind": "It is inconceivable that he would have done this to me." "It is inconceivable that water should not be wet." Unthinkable refers to something that cannot be made an object of serious thought, but the word is more often applied to matters that are improbable or difficult to accept: "It is unthinkable that he would have left me no money for food." "No matter what the minister says, I consider eternity to be an unthinkable subject."
Dictionary of problem words and expressions.
Harry Shaw.
1975.
Look at other dictionaries:
unthinkable — See inconceivable. See inconceivable, unthinkable … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
inconceivable — See inconceivable, unthinkable … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
unthinkable — is still used in its original meaning ‘unable to be imagined or grasped in the mind’: • You wander…in cool glades of unthinkable beauty Westminster Gazette, 1897. But far more common now is the extended and more evaluative meaning ‘too unlikely… … Modern English usage
unthinkable — [unthiŋ′kə bəl] adj. [ME unthenkable] 1. beyond the ability to understand or imagine; inconceivable 2. so extreme, foul, etc. as to be unfit to be imagined or considered [unthinkable war crimes] unthinkably adv … English World dictionary
inconceivable — I adjective disputable, doubtful, excluded, extraordinary, hard to believe, implausible, impossible, impracticable, inapprehensible, incogitable, incomprehensible, incredible, inexplicable, infeasible, marvelous, miraculous, not understandable,… … Law dictionary
inconceivable — [adj] beyond reason, belief extraordinary, fantastic, imcomprehensible, implausible, impossible, improbable, incogitable, incredible, insupposable, mind boggling*, phony, rare, reachy, staggering, strange, thin*, unbelievable, unconvincing,… … New thesaurus
unthinkable — [adj] incredible, unusual absurd, beyond belief, beyond possibility, exceptional, extraordinary, illogical, implausible, impossible, improbable, incogitable, inconceivable, insupportable, outlandish, out of the question*, preposterous, rare,… … New thesaurus
unthinkable — [[t]ʌnθɪ̱ŋkəb(ə)l[/t]] 1) ADJ: usu v link ADJ (emphasis) If you say that something is unthinkable, you are emphasizing that it cannot possibly be accepted or imagined as a possibility. Her strong Catholic beliefs made abortion unthinkable. Syn:… … English dictionary
unthinkable — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj. inconceivable, unimaginable, impossible; repugnant, out of the question; beyond belief, unbelievable. See impossibility. II (Roget s IV) modif. 1. [Inconceivable] Syn. incredible, unbelievable,… … English dictionary for students
inconceivable — [[t]ɪ̱nkənsi͟ːvəb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu v link ADJ, oft it v link ADJ that If you describe something as inconceivable, you think it is very unlikely to happen or be true. It was inconceivable to me that Toby could have been my attacker...… … English dictionary
