unbelievable
gb/ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/ us/ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/
B2
Inglese
~ 9500
Accezioni
0 accezioni
adjective
B2
property
1
extremely surprising or impressive
Very, very surprising or amazing, so that it is hard to think it is real.
Schema d'uso:
[something] is unbelievable; an unbelievable [noun]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes think "unbelievable" always means something is not true. In this common sense it usually means it is very surprising or impressive, not that it is a lie.
Sinonimi
incredible (Very close in meaning; often used in the same way to show strong surprise or admiration.)
|
amazing (More common in everyday speech; slightly weaker and less about being hard to believe.)
Contrari
ordinary (Describes something normal or not special, the opposite of something surprising or impressive.)
|
unremarkable (Emphasizes that something is not worth special attention or wonder.)
Collocazioni
unbelievable view
|unbelievable experience
|unbelievable story
|absolutely unbelievable
|almost unbelievable
Temi
emotions
|evaluation
|conversation
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely unbelievable.
- She gave an unbelievable performance that left the audience in tears.
- The special effects in that movie are unbelievable for such a low budget.
- After months of training, his progress has been unbelievable.
- The museum has an unbelievable collection of modern art.
Esempi per chi studia
- The food at that restaurant is unbelievable.
- The singer has an unbelievable voice.
- His progress in English this year is unbelievable.
- The game last night was unbelievable.
- We had an unbelievable time on our trip.
adjective
informal
B2
property
2
shocking and unacceptable
Very bad or wrong in a way that makes you feel shocked or angry.
Schema d'uso:
It is unbelievable that [clause]; [someone's] unbelievable [behavior/action]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes use this sense in very formal writing where it sounds too emotional or casual. In formal texts, words like "shocking," "unacceptable," or "outrageous" are usually better.
Sinonimi
outrageous (Stronger and more formal; focuses more on moral anger and social rules being broken.)
|
shocking (Similar meaning, but can be used in more formal writing and does not sound as colloquial.)
Contrari
acceptable (Describes something that is not so bad that people strongly object to it.)
|
reasonable (Suggests something is fair and sensible rather than shockingly wrong.)
Collocazioni
unbelievable behavior
|unbelievable incompetence
|It's unbelievable that...
|quite unbelievable
Temi
emotions
|criticism
|conversation
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- It's unbelievable that they expect us to work all weekend without extra pay.
- Her treatment of the staff was unbelievable and completely unprofessional.
- The amount of money they wasted on this project is just unbelievable.
- The customer service here is unbelievable—no one answers the phone or emails.
- It's unbelievable that the report still hasn't been finished after three months.
Esempi per chi studia
- It is unbelievable that the bus is late again.
- His behavior in the meeting was unbelievable.
- The way they spoke to the waiter was unbelievable.
- The price of rent in this city is unbelievable.
- It is unbelievable that nobody helped her.
adjective
B2
property
3
extremely great in degree
Very, very big or strong in amount or level, much more than normal.
Schema d'uso:
unbelievable [amount/pressure/noise/etc.]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes use "very unbelievable" to increase strength, but "unbelievable" already sounds very strong. Use adverbs like "absolutely" or "truly" instead ("absolutely unbelievable").
Sinonimi
enormous (Focuses more on size or quantity; less emotional than "unbelievable".)
|
immense (More formal; used for very large size, amount, or degree, not always with surprise.)
Contrari
slight (Emphasizes that the degree or amount of something is small rather than extreme.)
|
moderate (Suggests something is within a normal or middle range, not extremely high.)
Collocazioni
unbelievable pressure
|unbelievable amount
|unbelievable speed
|unbelievable noise
|unbelievable stress
Temi
evaluation
|intensity
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- The team is under unbelievable pressure to win the final.
- We had an unbelievable amount of work to finish before the deadline.
- The noise from the construction site was unbelievable all day.
- Athletes at this level train with unbelievable intensity.
- The company grew at an unbelievable speed last year.
Esempi per chi studia
- I feel unbelievable pressure before the exam.
- There is an unbelievable amount of traffic today.
- The heat in this room is unbelievable.
- She has an unbelievable amount of homework.
- They made unbelievable progress in one week.
adjective
B2
property
4
not believable or credible
Impossible or very hard to believe, so that you think it is probably not true.
Schema d'uso:
an unbelievable [excuse/story/claim]
Errore comune:
Learners often do not see the difference between this sense and the positive "amazing" sense. Here, context usually shows doubt or mistrust, often with words like "excuse," "story," "claim," or in legal and formal settings.
Sinonimi
implausible (More formal; often used in careful or academic writing about things that do not seem reasonable or likely.)
|
incredible (Can have this same meaning in context, but is more often positive or neutral than clearly doubtful.)
Contrari
credible (Means that something can be believed because it seems honest or possible.)
|
convincing (Emphasizes that something makes you believe it because it is strong or logical.)
Collocazioni
unbelievable excuse
|unbelievable story
|unbelievable claim
|unbelievable explanation
Temi
communication
|truth
|evaluation
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- He gave the police an unbelievable excuse about why he was at the crime scene.
- The court rejected her unbelievable story as a complete lie.
- Such unbelievable claims should be carefully checked before they are published.
- His explanation sounded unbelievable and raised even more questions.
- The advertisement makes unbelievable promises about quick weight loss.
Esempi per chi studia
- His excuse for being late was unbelievable.
- The story he told us was unbelievable.
- These numbers are unbelievable, so I think there is a mistake.
- The offer sounds unbelievable, so I do not trust it.
- Her reason for missing the exam was unbelievable.
Grammatica
Forma base
unbelievable
IPA
GB/ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/
US/ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/
Sillabe e accento
un - be - liev - able (4 sillabe)
Stress on 3rd syllable (liev)
Forme flesse
Adjective
- Base: unbelievable
Famiglia di parole
Related words
believer
noun B1
believably
adverb C1
Negative and opposite forms
disbelieve
verb
disbelief
noun B1
Espressioni
It's unbelievable
1/ˈɪts ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/
fixed phrase
informal
comment that something is incredible
Used to say that a situation is extremely surprising, either in a good or bad way.
Esempi
- It's unbelievable how quickly the children have grown.
- It's unbelievable that they still haven't fixed the problem.
That's unbelievable
1/ðˈæts ˌʌnbəlˈivəbəl/
fixed phrase
informal
exclaim about shock or surprise
We say this when we think something is extremely surprising, very good, or very bad.
Esempi
- "They lost our files again." – "That's unbelievable!"
- When she told me she had run 100 kilometers, I just said, "That's unbelievable."