unbreathable
1
6.6
- adjective
- /ʌnˈbrɛθəbl/
:
opresivo
- After the scandal broke, the atmosphere in the office felt unbreathable, making it hard for anyone to concentrate.
Examples
-
The criticism made the already unbreathable environment even more unbearable for the staff.
-
The atmosphere of Bodo was unbreathable and ripe with intrusive life.
Fiction book (1998) -
Now, all I do is sit in this stupid outfit and say dumb things like Pledge allegiance to me, you're unbreathable.
-
The moment he is in the presence of another individual of the same species, and when six of them find themselves nose to nose, the atmosphere immediately becomes unbreathable or full of sparks, which is why it might perhaps be reasonable, in order to preserve oneself, if not from the explosion, at least from the asphyxia, to wear a boar's-head mask during these gaseous meetings. But Grabinoulor is a being who is both violent and free.
Academic text (2007) -
The room became unbreathable as tensions rose during the heated argument.
Synonyms
215
1.0
Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness
89
3.9
Too painful or unpleasant to stand
42
4.9
So unpleasant or painful that you cannot bear it
31
4.6
Not wanted because it is unpleasant, harmful, or causes problems
26
7.5
So unpleasant you cannot stand it
20
7.7
Causing strong disgust or hatred in people
19
6.3
Heavy and uncomfortable, making people feel sad, worried, or tired
14
7.0
Not welcoming and difficult to live in or visit
9
7.4
Tastes bad or is hard to accept
9
6.5
Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate
6
3.9
Unpleasant to do or feel and causing annoyance
5
4.2
Not suitable for most living things because it is very harsh
5
6.1
Causing strong dislike or disgust
4
9.5
Very bad and unpleasant, causing strong dislike
3
8.0
Too unpleasant or painful to bear
1
7.2
Too unpleasant or extreme to bear
1
8.0
Not pleasant for a person, place, or situation
1
4.8
Unpleasant to the senses, like a bitter taste or bright light
So bad or strong that you cannot stand it
Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel disgusted
Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick
Causing people to feel unpleasant and want to stay away
Antonyms
How Oppressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
unbreathable = breathable (semi-transparent) = un + breathe + able
Although formed by negating 'breathable', this sense is a figurative extension (oppressive/unpleasant) rather than a literal physical property.
Etymology
Unbreathable is made from un- ('not'), breathe ('to breathe') and -able ('able'). A helpful way to remember the figurative use is to imagine a room so tense you feel you cannot breathe, so unbreathable can mean 'so oppressive or unpleasant that it is hard to stay'.