UNBELIEVABLE


Meaning of UNBELIEVABLE in English

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.

|

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.

|

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

|

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.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.