Basic Details
Word: Unbearable
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Too painful, unpleasant or difficult to put up with.
Synonyms: intolerable, unendurable, insufferable
Antonyms: bearable, tolerable
How to Spell Unbearable
Syllables: un - bear - a - ble
Tricky part: The middle is bear, meaning to put up with, not bare. Students also turn -able into -ible.
Watch out for: unbareable, unbearible, unberable
Memory tip: If you cannot bear it, it is un + bear + able. Picture a bear that cannot stand the summer heat.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The noise from the construction site next door was unbearable.
Example 2: By noon, the heat on the bus was unbearable, so we opened every window.
Example 3: Waiting for the cricket score without a phone felt almost unbearable.
Fun Fact
The verb bear has two old meanings in English: to carry or put up with, and to give birth. Unbearable comes from the first.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The sting of the wasp was unbareable at first, but the cool ointment from the school nurse soon eased the pain in my arm.
a) ointment
b) nurse
c) eased
d) unbareable
Show answer
d) unbareable. The root is bear, to put up with; bare means uncovered and has nothing to do with it.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word unbearable as used in the sentence:
The smell from the blocked drain outside the shop was unbearable.
a) gentle
b) intolerable
c) pleasant
d) faint
Show answer
b) intolerable. Something you cannot bear is intolerable; pleasant and faint are far too mild.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The pain in his sprained ankle was elbaunrabe for the first night.
a) unbreakable
b) unbeatable
c) unbearable
d) unreasonable
Show answer
c) unbearable. Look for what is missing: no k for unbreakable, no s or o for unreasonable, no t for unbeatable.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An unbearable toothache is ____.
a) only a little annoying
b) gone in a minute
c) too painful to put up with
d) slight and easy to ignore
Show answer
c) too painful to put up with
2. In unbearable, the word bear means ____.
a) a large wild animal
b) to put up with
c) uncovered
d) a heavy load
Show answer
b) to put up with
