un ‧ be ‧ liev ‧ a ‧ ble S3 /ˌʌnbəˈliːvəb ə l◂, ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəb ə l◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ belief , ↑ disbelief , ↑ believer ; adjective : ↑ believable ≠ ↑ unbelievable , ↑ disbelieving ; verb : ↑ believe ≠ ↑ disbelieve ; adverb : ↑ unbelievably ]
1 . very good, successful, or impressive SYN amazing :
The opportunities are unbelievable.
an unbelievable talent
2 . very bad or shocking SYN terrible :
The pain was unbelievable.
acts of unbelievable cruelty
It was unbelievable that we were expected to pay twice.
3 . so extreme that it hardly seems possible:
He’s so lazy it’s unbelievable.
an unbelievable speed
4 . very difficult to believe and therefore probably untrue:
Yvonne’s excuse for being late was totally unbelievable.
—unbelievably adverb :
an unbelievably bad movie
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ surprising making you feel surprised:
It’s surprising how quickly you get used to it.
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We got some very surprising results.
▪ astonishing/astounding very surprising. Astounding sounds a little more formal and a little stronger than astonishing :
The results of the tests were astounding.
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Things are changing at an astonishing speed.
▪ extraordinary very unusual and surprising:
It is extraordinary that such a young boy should be so good at maths.
▪ amazing very surprising – used especially about good or impressive things:
an amazing achievement
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It’s amazing what you can do when you really try.
▪ staggering very surprising, especially by being so large:
The project cost a staggering $8 million.
▪ unbelievable ( also incredible ) so surprising that you can hardly believe it:
It is unbelievable that she is only the same age as me.
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The incredible thing is that he thinks he is ugly.