unputdownable
/(ˌ)ʌnpʊtˈdaʊnəb(ə)l/
unputdownable means of a person, etc.: difficult or impossible to put down (in various senses). It carries an Arena rating of 1471, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unputdownable ranks #1,788 of 17,150 for Funniest Words, #2,983 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #3,442 of 17,128 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,154 of 17,140 for The Improbable.
unputdownable is pronounced /(ˌ)ʌnpʊtˈdaʊnəb(ə)l/.
Why “unputdownable” is a great word
So captivating or engrossing that one cannot bear to stop reading it. From the prefix un- ("not") + the phrasal verb put down ("to cease reading or carrying") + the suffix -able ("capable of, fit for"), it first appeared in 1947. Unlike "engrossing" (which suggests total mental absorption) or "compelling" (which implies a persuasive force), "unputdownable" describes a physical and almost visceral resistance to releasing the book from one’s hands. It is the flashlight under the covers long past bedtime, the page turned with one hand while stirring a pot with the other, the lamp left burning at 3 a.m. not by will but by surrender—the quiet ache of a story that refuses to release you, long after you should have let go.
Etymology
From un- + put down + -able.
adj
- Of a person, etc.: difficult or impossible to put down (in various senses).
- Of a book or other written work: so captivating or engrossing that one cannot bear to stop reading it.e.g.“I found it absolutely (or almost) unputdownable and at the same time as complete a waste of time in a sense as one of [Erle Stanley] Gardner's Perry Mason stories, which I also find unputdownable.”
Words closest in meaning
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