unutterable

adjective

un·​ut·​ter·​able ˌən-ˈə-tə-rə-bəl How to pronounce unutterable (audio)
Synonyms of unutterablenext
: being beyond the powers of description : inexpressible
an unutterable tragedy
unutterably
ˌən-ˈə-tə-rə-blē How to pronounce unutterable (audio)
adverb

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unutterable in a Sentence

unutterable joy that a baby can bring to a household the unutterable suffering brought on by the war
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Two high voices — LACO features soprano Amanda Forsythe and countertenor John Holiday — intertwine with the orchestra turning this hymn to the Virgin Mary’s suffering into unutterable sweetness and treating death as life’s engenderment. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024 In between loads of cartoonish ultraviolence and B-movie horror ephemera came some honestly unutterable lyrics, which Bill fought his faith to perform. — Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 28 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unutterable was circa 1586

Browse Nearby Words

unutilized
unutterable
unutterables
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unutterable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unutterable. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

unutterable

adjective
un·​ut·​ter·​able ˌən-ˈət-ə-rə-bəl How to pronounce unutterable (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not capable of being pronounced
2
: not capable of being put into words : inexpressible
unutterable sorrow
unutterably
-blē How to pronounce unutterable (audio)
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All