Word
unbearable
Phoneticsun·bear·able
US/ənˈbɛɹəbəɫ/
UK/ʌnbˈeəɹəbəl/
Definition
adj. too bad, painful, or annoying to deal with. You use this when you feel like you cannot handle a situation any longer.
adj. too unpleasant, painful, or intense to be tolerated. Often used predicatively after linking verbs such as 'become', 'seem', or 'feel'.
Examples
“The heat in the room was unbearable.”
“The silence in the house became unbearable after his best friend moved away.”
“The protagonist's grief is depicted as an unbearable weight, manifesting physically as a constant pressure in his chest that prevents him from engaging with the world.”
Examples
simple
“The heat in the room was unbearable.”
contextual
“The silence in the house became unbearable after his best friend moved away.”
complex
“The protagonist's grief is depicted as an unbearable weight, manifesting physically as a constant pressure in his chest that prevents him from engaging with the world.”
Usage
Often modified by adverbs of degree like 'almost', 'nearly', or 'virtually'.
Pitfall
The pain was unbearing
The pain was unbearable
Learners sometimes confuse the adjective 'unbearable' with the present participle 'unbearing', which is not a standard English word for this meaning.
Real-World Examples
“The other half of me was crushed by the absolute, unbearable pain that this decision comes 10 years too late for my brother, Tommy.” “Image caption, Sir Keir Starmer's former chief of staff revealed how "unbearable" it was working in No 10, saying she feared she was being recorded by colleagues, the Guardian reports.” Etymology
From Middle English unberable, equivalent to un- + bearable.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/unbearable