uncontrollable

uncontrollable — adjective

1. Something that is uncontrollable is so powerful or extreme that you cannot stop

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Something that is uncontrollable is so powerful or extreme that you cannot stop it or prevent it from happening.

Example

The fire on the hill spread quickly and soon became uncontrollable.

become + uncontrollable (of a natural event)

Daichi felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh during the serious ceremony.

uncontrollable urge + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • uncontrollable anger
  • uncontrollable laughter
  • uncontrollable urge
  • uncontrollable tears
  • uncontrollable bleeding
  • become uncontrollable
  • spiral out of control
Synonyms
  • unmanageable

    More about difficulty handling something rather than extreme force; often used for people or situations

  • out of control

    An adjectival phrase with a similar meaning; preferred for describing machines, vehicles, or processes

  • ungovernable

    More formal and less common; usually describes countries, groups, or emotions

Antonyms
  • controllable

    Direct opposite: able to be managed or kept within limits

  • manageable

    Describes something that can be handled without extreme difficulty

Grammar Patterns

uncontrollable + noun

be/become + uncontrollable

uncontrollable + urge/impulse + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently collocates with emotions (anger, laughter, excitement), physical reactions (crying, bleeding, coughing), and natural events (fire, flooding). Also used with urges and impulses followed by a to-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

The dog was incontrollable at the park.
The dog was uncontrollable at the park.
The correct prefix is 'un-', not 'in-'. This is a common false friend for speakers of Romance languages.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Uncontrollable emphasises the sheer force of something — so strong that resistance is pointless. Unmanageable focuses on the practical difficulty of handling something; a workload or a large group of students can be unmanageable without being violent or extreme. Unruly is almost always about people or their behaviour that refuses to obey rules; it carries a hint of defiance rather than raw force. Out of control is an adjectival phrase closest to uncontrollable in meaning but broader in use — it can describe a car skidding, a child misbehaving, or costs rising. Use uncontrollable when you want to highlight the overwhelming intensity of an emotion or natural event.

uncontrollable ↗unmanageableunrulyout of control

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • out of control
  • beyond control
  • spiral out of control

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Uncontrollable was formed in English by adding the negative prefix 'un-' to 'controllable'. The base word 'control' entered English through Old French 'contreroller', which came from Medieval Latin 'contrarotulare' — meaning 'to check against a register' (from 'contra' = against + 'rotulus' = a roll or list). The sense of 'keeping in check' eventually broadened to mean general power over people or things.