Unbearable

How to spell unbearable

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unbearable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unbearable mean?

1. adjectiveSo intense or unpleasant that it cannot be endured or tolerated.

Unbearable in a sentence

• The heat in the office became unbearable by mid-afternoon.

• She found the constant noise from the building site unbearable.

Where does unbearable come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The heart of this word is the verb 'bear', which descends from the Old English beran, meaning 'to carry, to bring forth, or to endure', a word shared across the Germanic languages and rooted in an ancient term for carrying. To this native verb English attached the suffix -able, which arrived through Old French from the Latin -abilis, meaning 'capable of' or 'fit to be'. The negative prefix un-, also a native Germanic element meaning 'not', was then placed in front, giving the literal sense 'not able to be endured'. The compound came together in the 1500s, blending a homegrown English root with a borrowed romance ending, a very common pattern in the language. The spelling trap lies in the silent shape of the middle: writers must remember the root is 'bear', the same word used for carrying a burden, and that the ending is -able rather than -ible.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• bear (to endure, from Old English beran 'to carry')
• -able (capable of being)