unbelievably
adverb
Simple meaning
To a surprising or extreme degree; in a way that is hard to believe.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhnbuhleevuhbleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ənbəˈlivəbli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
degree
To an extent not to be believed.
evaluative
Contrary to expectations, amazingly.
manner
In a manner that one does not or cannot believe.
manner
In an unbelievable manner
manner
Not easy to believe
Understand the Word
How this word is built, and what each part adds.
In a way that is extremely surprising or difficult to believe.
- un-
- not, or without
- believe
- accept something as true
- -able
- capable of being
- -ly
- turns the adjective into an adverb: in that manner
Prefix function , Not — expresses absence of the quality
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (degree) To an extent not to be believed.
Used this way, unbelievably is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.