Dictionary

insupportable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪn.səˈpɔːɹ.tə.bəl/
• (US) audio
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle French insupportable, from Late Latin insupportabilis. See also in- + supportable.

Meanings

1. That cannot be tolerated or endured.
   • Insupportable debts and chronic instability worsen the developing countries’ dependence on aid, and allow the IMF to tighten the screws even more vigorously next time, at the direction of American bankers. 2001 September 27, “A plague of finance”, in The Economist:
   • But in the prayer-room there was no furniture at all, the ground was of course sacred, and he found the smell of incense and sandalwood insupportable. 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, published 2001, Part One, Chapter 3:
   • “Come, Darcy,” said he, “I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance.” ¶ “I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.” 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 20:
   • The Captain, at Mr. Allworthy’s Inſtance, was outwardly, as we have ſaid, reconciled to his Brother, yet the ſame Rancour remained in his Heart; and he found ſo many Opportunities of giving him private Hints of this, that the Houſe at laſt grew inſupportable to the poor Doctor; and he choſe rather to ſubmit to any Inconveniencies which he might encounter in the World, than longer to bear theſe cruel and ungrateful Inſults, from a Brother for whom he had done ſo much. 1749, Henry Fielding, “Which concludes the first Book, with an Instance of Ingratitude, which we hope will appear unnatural”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume I, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book I, page 77:
   • My Lord you do me moſt inſupportable vexation. c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 239, column 1:
2. That cannot be supported; that cannot be demonstrated or proved. (of a statement, claim, argument, etc.)
   • For the Conservatives, who came to power in 2006, to claim credit for more than two decades of dropping crime is as laughable as it is insupportable. 2013 July 26, “Canada’s falling crime rate flies in face of Harper policies: Editorial”, in Toronto Star:
   • This is a critical error, which undermines the report and leads the advisory group to make a series of contradictory and insupportable recommendations. 2012 May 7, “Jennifer Buckingham, Mistakes writ large if reading goes wrong”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:
   • […] the energy debate is in danger of being corrupted by misstatements small and large. Among these is the insupportable proposition that the California energy crisis can somehow be relieved by drilling in the Arctic refuge — an idea Ms. Norton echoed when she said that new drilling would “resolve some of the problems we’ve been having lately.” 2001 February 7, “Deconstructing Gale Norton”, in The New York Times:

Forms

Relateds

insupportably · insupportableness

Synonyms

unsupportable (that cannot be demonstrated) · unbearable (made up of particularly small pieces) · unendurable (made up of particularly small pieces) · unsupportable (made up of particularly small pieces) · indefensible (that cannot be demonstrated) · intolerable (made up of particularly small pieces) · insufferable (made up of particularly small pieces) · untenable (that cannot be demonstrated)

Translations (1)

es insoportable (Translations)