Unbelievable

/ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbəl/

adjectiveBeginnerVery CommonGeneral

Definitions

1

So extraordinary as to seem impossible or very difficult to believe.

/ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbəl/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
General

Difficult or impossible to believe.

The magician performed an unbelievable trick.

💡 Simply: Imagine you saw a dog riding a bicycle – that's pretty unbelievable! It means something is so surprising or amazing that it's hard to believe.

👶 For kids: When something is so great, it's hard to believe it's true!

More Examples

2

The price of the car was unbelievably low.

3

It's unbelievable how quickly the flowers grew.

How It's Used

General Conversation

"The sunset was unbelievably beautiful."

Sports

"The athlete performed an unbelievable feat of strength."

News Reporting

"The damage caused by the hurricane was unbelievable."

Idioms & expressions

believe it or not

Whether you believe it or not, it is true.

"Believe it or not, I won the lottery!"

beyond belief

Incredibly unbelievable or shocking.

"The news was beyond belief."

From 'un-' (not) + 'believe' + '-able' (capable of being). It originated in the late 16th century.

The word's use has increased substantially, particularly in modern times, reflecting a greater emphasis on hyperbole and emphasis in speech and writing.

Memory tip

Think of something so amazing, you can't believe it's real: UNBELIEVABLE!

unbeliveableunbelievabley

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written