# unbearable

/ənˈbɛɹəbəɫ/ (US) · /ʌnbˈeəɹəbəl/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unbearable
Updated: 2026-05-06

## Definition

too bad, painful, or annoying to deal with. You use this when you feel like you cannot handle a situation any longer.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The pain was unbearing" but "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.

## Usage notes

- Often modified by adverbs of degree like 'almost', 'nearly', or 'virtually'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.