unsinkable en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English sink Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unsinkable From un- + sink + -able.
Meanings
-
(of ships) That cannot be sunk.
It was the kind of place with a neon martini glass for a name and an unsinkable turd floating in the toilet.
2007, Eric Puchner, “Children of God”, in Music Through the Floor: Stories, page 13:The Sydney water team are hoping that by showing families the 'unflushable' and 'unsinkable' items, that the environment will be a lot better off.
2021 December 23, ElizaMcPhee, “Kids' toys, jewellery and a BRICK: The bizarre things Sydneysiders tried to flush down their toilet - wih flushed wet wipes costing $8MILLION a year”, in Daily Mail Australia:The RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner which had been marketed as “unsinkable”, sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912, on a route from Britain to the US after being holed by an iceberg, claiming the lives of 1,514 of the 2,224 passengers and crew.
2023 June 19, Edward Helmore, Leyland Cecco, “Search under way for tourist submarine missing on dive to wreck of Titanic”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:That was the connection, the hook, the key, that was the thought that had been bobbing around like an unsinkable turd in the toilet of my subconscious all night.
2008, Adrian Hyland, Moonlight Downs:Any true Grecophile will understand when I say that the unsinkable condom and the smell of shit which precede the moment of illumination make it more exciting when it happens.
1981, Patrick White, Flaws in the Glass: A Self-Portrait:
-
(figuratively) That cannot be overcome or defeated.
unsinkable optimism
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most unsinkable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more unsinkable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
unsinkable rubber duck · unsinkableness · unsinkably
Synonyms
Translations (15)
gv do-vaih (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · fr insubmersible (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · uk непотоплюваний (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · hu elsüllyeszthetetlen (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · ja 不沈 (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · gv do-vaiht (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · sv osänkbar (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · fi uppoamaton (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · ru непотопля́емый (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · de unsinkbar (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · la immersābilis (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · el αβύθιστος (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · el ακαταβύθιστος (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · pl niezatapialny (of a ship: that cannot be sunk) · ga dobháite (of a ship: that cannot be sunk)