unimaginable

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "unimaginable" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to describe something that is so extraordinary that it is hard to believe or even impossible to imagine. Example sentence: The amount of money he earned from his book was unimaginable.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

They traffic in human beings, often, as I heard for myself a few weeks back, young girls sold into prostitution; they deal in drugs, with levels of violence unimaginable in the past.

The Guardian - Opinion

"My work load was awful, unimaginable … [My master] considered me to have no soul.

The Guardian

So much change has been forced on the system recently that further radical upheaval in curriculum and qualifications is unimaginable.

The Guardian

The memories of the thousands killed, the continuing pain of survivors from all communities, the desire for truth; these all mean the potential for the peace process to unravel – however unimaginable this might be – is still there".

The Guardian

To give up all the rewards of reconstructive surgery and three wins after defeat to England would be unimaginable.

The Guardian - Sport

Words such as unimaginable become standard adjectives in such a world.

The Guardian - Opinion

But it wasn't simply burning trees Sharen saw – what loomed above her was impossible, unimaginable, an endless dome of spitting, boiling red, like the dawn of hell itself over their pretty forest town.

The Guardian

There was the time in February of last year that he said that Americans were afraid to speak up against progressives because they were afraid "they will be targeted, they will be called names, they will be investigated by the IRS and all kinds of unimaginable things will happen".

The Guardian - Opinion

"I distributed milk in Terezín, and would see Ancerl with his wife and child," recalls Anka on the sofa in Cambridge, making this unimaginable history tangible.

The Guardian - Music

And now to Abbott's recent string of absurd pronouncements on continental Australian, Indigenous and colonial history, beginning, in July, with this: Our country is unimaginable without foreign investment.

The Guardian - Opinion

The civil rights movement was slowly trying to undo centuries of damage and change government policy, but there is no doubt that as a black child born in the 1940s, Shakur's life was permeated by racism in a way that seems almost unimaginable today.

The Guardian - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "unimaginable" to emphasize the extreme nature of something that is difficult or impossible to believe or conceive.

Common error

Avoid using "unimaginable" for situations that are merely surprising or unexpected, save it for truly extraordinary circumstances to maintain its impact.

Linguistic Context

The adjective "unimaginable" functions to describe something as being beyond the realm of possibility or difficult to conceive. As Ludwig highlights, it's used to depict scenarios so extraordinary that they defy easy comprehension. The examples show its usage in describing extreme violence, catastrophic events, or remarkable achievements.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

46%

Formal & Business

29%

Science

15%

Less common in

Academia

3%

Reference

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the adjective "unimaginable" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed term used to describe scenarios or events that are beyond belief or difficult to conceive. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage, highlighting its adaptability across various contexts from News & Media to Formal & Business settings. While it is a powerful word, it's best reserved for truly extraordinary situations to avoid diluting its impact. Related phrases like "inconceivable" and "unthinkable" offer similar but nuanced ways to express incredulity or impossibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

inconceivable

Focuses on the mental impossibility of conceiving something.

unthinkable

Emphasizes the idea that something is so bad or shocking that you don't even want to think about it.

impossible to fathom

Highlights the difficulty in understanding or comprehending something.

beyond comprehension

Stresses that something exceeds the limits of understanding.

mind-boggling

Implies that something is so complex or astonishing that it overwhelms the mind.

beyond belief

Highlights that something is so extraordinary that it is hard to accept as true.

out of the question

Indicates something is not a possibility or option.

unheard of

Suggests something is unprecedented or extremely rare.

astounding

Emphasizes the amazement and surprise caused by something.

incredible

Highlights that something is difficult to believe.

FAQs

How can I use "unimaginable" in a sentence?

You can use "unimaginable" to describe something that is difficult to imagine or believe. For example: "The scale of the disaster was unimaginable."

What words can I use instead of "unimaginable"?

Alternatives include "inconceivable", "unthinkable", or "beyond comprehension", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "almost unimaginable"?

Yes, "almost unimaginable" is a valid construction that softens the absolute nature of "unimaginable", suggesting something is very difficult but not entirely impossible to imagine.

What is the difference between "unimaginable" and "impossible"?

"Unimaginable" refers to something that is difficult to conceive, while "impossible" refers to something that cannot occur. Something can be imaginable but impossible, and vice versa. For example, time travel is often considered imaginable but currently impossible.