unapproachable

[ uhn-uh-proh-chuh-buhl ]
See synonyms for unapproachable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not capable of being approached; remote; unreachable: an unapproachable spot; an unapproachable person.

  2. impossible to equal or rival: unapproachable mastery of her art.

Origin of unapproachable

1
First recorded in 1575–85; un-1 + approachable

Other words for unapproachable

Other words from unapproachable

  • un·ap·proach·a·bil·i·ty, un·ap·proach·a·ble·ness, noun
  • un·ap·proach·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unapproachable in a sentence

  • It contains twenty-one numbers, besides that lofty dirge, so unapproachably solemn, The Phoenix and the Turtle.

    Adventures in Criticism | Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
  • They, for their part, had no clue linking the unapproachably strange lady on the neighbouring sofa with the hero of their tale.

    The Helpmate | May Sinclair
  • Randal was unapproachably indifferent to the state of parties, and the urgent necessity for reform.

    The Evil Genius | Wilkie Collins
  • And Mr. Lowell in the same strain observes that 'in his own province he still stands unapproachably alone.'

    The Age of Pope | John Dennis
  • She asked no questions, found no fault, but was throughout unapproachably courteous and overpoweringly civil.

British Dictionary definitions for unapproachable

unapproachable

/ (ˌʌnəˈprəʊtʃəbəl) /


adjective
  1. discouraging intimacy, friendliness, etc; aloof

  2. inaccessible

  1. not to be rivalled

Derived forms of unapproachable

  • unapproachableness, noun
  • unapproachably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012