unbearable

unbearable — adjective

1. describing something so painful, unpleasant, or difficult that you cannot tolera

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing something so painful, unpleasant, or difficult that you cannot tolerate it or remain in the situation.

Example

The heat in the desert became unbearable after the air conditioning stopped working.

collocation: unbearable heat

Naoko found the constant noise from the construction site completely unbearable.

find + something + unbearable

Common collocations
  • unbearable pain
  • unbearable heat
  • unbearable tension
  • unbearable sadness
  • unbearable pressure
  • unbearable wait
Synonyms
  • intolerable

    more formal; often used for unacceptable conditions or rules rather than personal pain

  • unendurable

    more literary or dramatic; emphasizes prolonged suffering

  • insufferable

    primarily about annoying people or behaviour rather than physical pain

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

find + something + unbearable

unbearable + for + someone

so + unbearable + that + clause

Usage Note

Common after 'find' (I find this heat unbearable) and with intensifiers such as 'absolutely', 'almost', and 'nearly'. Also used in 'so unbearable that...' result clauses.

Common Mistakes

The situation is unbearable anymore.
The situation is unbearable.' or 'I cannot bear the situation anymore.
'unbearable' already means 'cannot be borne'; adding 'anymore' after it is redundant.
I am unbearable to work in this office.
Working in this office is unbearable for me.
'unbearable' describes the situation or thing, not the person who feels it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Intolerable, unendurable, and insufferable all describe something too extreme to bear, but they differ in nuance. Intolerable focuses on situations that violate acceptable standards (intolerable working conditions), often in formal or political contexts. Unendurable is more literary and describes prolonged suffering (unendurable loneliness). Insufferable is primarily about unbearable people or behaviour—someone whose arrogance or rudeness is too much to tolerate. Unbearable is the most versatile and everyday word, covering physical pain, emotional distress, heat, noise, waiting, and tense situations. For example: 'The pain was unbearable' (common); 'The conditions were intolerable' (formal/protest); 'His arrogance was insufferable' (annoying behaviour); 'The suspense was unendurable' (literary).

intolerableunendurableinsufferable

Common collocations

Nouns

  • unbearable pain
  • unbearable heat
  • unbearable tension
  • unbearable pressure
  • unbearable sadness

Adverbs

  • absolutely unbearable
  • almost unbearable
  • quite unbearable
  • nearly unbearable
  • completely unbearable
  • simply unbearable

Phrases

  • make something unbearable
  • find something unbearable
  • become unbearable
  • prove unbearable

Prepositions

  • unbearable for [someone]
  • unbearable to [someone]

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from un- (a prefix meaning 'not') and bearable, which comes from bear (Old English beran 'to carry, suffer, endure'). Bearable first appeared in the 1500s, and unbearable is recorded from the 1520s.