unmentionable
4
7.9
- adjective
- /ʌnˈmɛnʃənəbl/
- NSFW
:
inmencionable
- Whatever happened to the, er... unmentionable disease?
I did a set about my kids and about, you know, other unmentionable things.
- I did a set about my kids and about, you know, other unmentionable things.
Examples
-
And what plot is that? It must be unmentionable.
Blog text (20) -
Well, by that time, eating will become unmentionable, pictures of food will be considered rare and curious and only collected by rude, old gentlemen.
-
What unmentionable thing had I done to merit such treatment?"
-
You already hooked me up with... the unmentionable.
-
Off the Debate Agenda: The Unmentionable Threat of Global Warming
Blog text (28) -
The implication was that farther within the Quarter, anything goes, and one would see the unmentionable on television.
Academic text (1999) -
But it made Brenna angry that Mattie had brought up the unmentionable.
Fiction book (1997) -
The return of Praetorianism, that is, corrupt military despotism, is an unmentionable fact in many African countries.
Blog text (10) -
Nick hails from an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, where the underworld of organized crime is an unmentionable presence.
Academic text (1997) -
In many cultures, topics related to sexuality are often considered unmentionable in polite conversation.
Synonyms
102
4.6
Not allowed to enter, use, or talk about
96
3.2
Not allowed by law, rules, or custom
6
7.7
Not allowed by rules, laws, or official standards
A topic people avoid talking about because it is taboo or painful
So offensive that people do not say it
Too holy to be spoken aloud
Antonyms
How Discussable
1
3.7
702
1.0
488
2.9
∞
1.8
- NSFW
4
7.9
39
5.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
unmentionable = mentionable (transparent) = un + mention + able
Formed by productive prefix 'un-' attached to 'mentionable'; the meaning 'not able or suitable to be mentioned' follows directly from the parts.
Etymology
Unmentionable comes from the parts un- 'not', mention 'to speak about', and -able 'able to'. So something unmentionable is literally 'not to be spoken of' and is a topic people avoid or treat as taboo.