Dictionary

unbelievable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /bi-/
• /bə-/
• /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/

Etymology

From un- + believable.

Meanings

1. (literally) Not to be believed.
   • ‘Come on, girls,’ said Steve, ‘be honest, we won.’ / ‘Yeah,’ said Raymond, ‘we let you off because you’re girls.’ / ‘You’re unbelievable,’ said Liz. / ‘Well, if we’re unbelievable,’ said Steve, ‘then you’re unbelievabler.’ 1996, Colin Thompson, “Four Pigeons”, in Venus the Caterpillar and Further Wild Stories, London: Hodder Children’s Books, →ISBN, page 24:
2. (figuratively) Amazing, astonishing; so surprising that one is almost, or figuratively, unable to believe.
   • The most unbelievable thing happened to me today!
   • This restaurant makes unbelievable pizza!
   • Whether you want the unbelievablest sheer of chiffon . . . or the most durable of service weight . . . I’ve concluded, after a round of looking, that these stores give you a real money’s worth! 1932 February 6, Virginia Chumley, “Visits with Virginia”, in The Chattanooga News, volume XLIV, number 189, Chattanooga, Tenn., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11, column 6:
   • The unbelievablest (to coin a word) thing about this animation is the fact that it is generated in real time, like a video game! 2010 March 9, Emily Lakdawalla, “Unbelievably spectacular flight through Candor Chasma”, in The Planetary Society, Pasadena, Calif., archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020:
   • In other words—join the gpo and hear the world; have fun; talk to the wildest, craziest, simply unbelievablest people. 1967, New Society, volume 9, London, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 680, column 1:
3. Implausible or improbable.
   • His excuse seems rather unbelievable.

Forms

Antonyms

likely · plausible · feasible · credible · believable · probable

Deriveds

superunbelievable · unbelievableness · unbelievability · unbelievably

Relateds

belief · believe

Synonyms

noncredible · incredible · incredible · unlikely · infeasible · beyond belief · improbable

Translations (71)

nb usannsynlig (implausible) · es increíble (incredible) · nb utrolig (incredible) · pl niewiarygodny (implausible) · la incredibilis (incredible) · el απίστευτος (incredible) · hu hihetetlen (incredible) · pt inacreditável (incredible) · af ongelooflik (incredible) · eu sinestezin (implausible) · ka დამაჯერებლობას მოკლებული (implausible) · la incredibilis (implausible) · ka არასარწმუნო (implausible) · ro incredibil (incredible) · cs neuvěřitelný (incredible) · hu hihetetlen (implausible) · sh невjероватан (incredible) · ka დაუჯერებელი (incredible) · az inanılmaz (incredible) · cmn 難以置信 /难以置信 (implausible) · eu sinestezin (incredible) · is ósennilegur (implausible) · sh невjероjатан (incredible) · ka დაუჯერებელი (implausible) · de unglaublich (incredible) · uk неймові́рний (incredible) · fr incroyable (incredible) · ro de necrezut (incredible) · sh невероjатан (incredible) · cmn 不可思議 /不可思议 (incredible) · is ótrúlegur (incredible) · gv neuchredjallagh (incredible) · ga dochreidte (incredible) · ca increïble (incredible) · fi uskomaton (incredible) · pt incrível (incredible) · sh neverovatan (incredible) · pdt onjleeflich (incredible) · it incredibile (incredible) · az ağlasığmaz (incredible) · pt inacreditável (implausible) · sh nevjerovatan (incredible) · eo nekredebla (implausible) · da utrolig (incredible) · fi epäuskottava (implausible) · sv otrolig (incredible) · sv osannolik (implausible) · de unglaubwürdig (implausible) · ca increïble (implausible) · sh nevjerojatan (incredible) · te నమ్మలేని (incredible) · az ağlabatmaz (incredible) · de unglaubhaft (implausible) · sh neverojatan (incredible) · nl ongeloofwaardig (implausible) · ru невероя́тный (incredible) · bg невероя́тен (incredible) · sq pabesueshëm (implausible) · he לֹא יְאֻמַּן כִּי יְסֻפַּר (incredible) · he לֹא יֵאָמֵן (incredible) · ru неправдоподо́бный (implausible) · sh невероватан (incredible) · pl niewiarygodny (incredible) · nv doojóódląʼda (incredible) · ja 信じられない (incredible) · ar لا يصدق (incredible) · nl ongelofelijk (incredible) · eo nekredebla (incredible) · fr incroyable (implausible) · pl niebywały (incredible) · tr inanılmaz (incredible)