impensable

unthinkable

adjective eem-pen-SAH-bleh Rare

Also means

inconceivable

Usage Note

Impensable is stronger than improbable — it conveys that something is so far outside expectation that it cannot even be imagined. It pairs commonly with hace unos años era impensable ('a few years ago it was unthinkable'), a construction journalists use to mark social change. Like all adjectives ending in -ble, it is invariable for gender.

Examples

"Hace diez años, esto hubiera sido impensable."

Natural Translation

Ten years ago, this would have been unthinkable.

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