unbreathable
- adjective
- /ʌnˈbrɛθəbl/
:
irrespirable
- When the smoke filled the cabin, the atmosphere quickly turned unbreathable, leaving us gasping for fresh air.
Examples
-
After the factory accident, the area became unbreathable, forcing everyone to evacuate.
-
Summer evenings, when a cool breeze comes up after the unbreathable heat of the day, women sit on washed terraces and braid it into their hair.
Fiction book (1997) -
The air in the sealed room was unbreathable due to the chemical fumes.
Synonyms
29
3.4
Too warm and without fresh air
28
7.5
Not letting water pass through and not changed by words
13
2.7
A room with little fresh air that feels uncomfortable to breathe in
4
6.6
Not allowing water or air to pass through
2
4.7
A place with no air where you cannot breathe
1
5.1
Making it hard to breathe because the air is hot, close, or not fresh
1
6.3
A room with no fresh air moving in
1
6.5
A material that does not let water or air pass through
Too closed to let in fresh air
Too large or not able to enter the lungs when breathed in
Hot, heavy air that makes it hard to breathe
Antonyms
How Breathable
Surface Forms
Morphology
unbreathable = breathable (transparent) = un + breathe + able
The adjective is formed by adding the productive prefix 'un-' to 'breathable', producing the direct opposite meaning.
Etymology
Unbreathable is made from un- ('not'), breathe ('to breathe') and -able ('able'). Think of a plastic raincoat that will not let air or moisture through so you feel hot and sticky, so unbreathable means 'not allowing air or moisture to pass through' and is uncomfortable to wear.