English Reference

Word

unbelievable

Phoneticsun·be·liev·able

US/ˌənbəˈɫivəbəɫ/

UK/ʌnbɪlˈiːvəbəl/

Definitions

01amazing or extreme

B1

adj. used to describe something so surprising or good that you can hardly believe it.

adj. denoting something extraordinary or astonishing; often used as an intensifier for positive or negative extremes.

“The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely unbelievable.”

“The athlete showed unbelievable stamina, maintaining a record-breaking pace throughout the final stages of the marathon.”

Informal

Usage

Often used with the intensifier 'absolutely'.

02not credible

B2

adj. difficult to believe because it seems unlikely or untrue.

adj. lacking credibility or plausibility; difficult to accept as a factual account.

“His excuse for being late was so unbelievable that nobody laughed.”

“The witness provided an unbelievable account of the events, which was quickly contradicted by the forensic evidence presented in court.”

Synonyms

implausibleunconvincingdoubtful

Etymology

From un- + believable.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

unbelievableAdjectiveunbelievablyAdverb

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/unbelievable

English Reference