the unthinkable
noun
: something that one cannot accept, believe, or imagine
especially
: something that is so bad that one does not want to think about it
And then, the unthinkable happened: the car skidded out of control and crashed.
Examples of the unthinkable in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
We are joined now by a young woman who, like so many others, was here on Bourbon Street ringing in the new year when the unthinkable happened.
—
Abc News, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2025
Many are personal stories about surviving the unthinkable.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Nets owner Roy Boe had to do the unthinkable by selling Erving’s NBA rights to the 76ers for $3 million.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
And then, for her mother, the unthinkable somehow became the unimaginable.
—Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the unthinkable 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Abc News, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2025
Many are personal stories about surviving the unthinkable.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Nets owner Roy Boe had to do the unthinkable by selling Erving’s NBA rights to the 76ers for $3 million.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
And then, for her mother, the unthinkable somehow became the unimaginable.
—Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the unthinkable
Dictionary Entries Near the unthinkable
Cite this Entry
“The unthinkable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20unthinkable. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share