ありえない
ありえない
i-adjective, expression
impossible, unbelievable, no way
1.
impossible, unbelievable
Expresses that something cannot possibly happen or exist; used to describe unlikely or implausible situations.
そんなことありえない。
That's impossible.
ありえないぐらい高い。
It's unbelievably expensive.
彼が裏切るなんてありえない。
There's no way he would betray us.
2.
unacceptable, outrageous
Expresses strong disapproval or that something is beyond acceptable standards; often used to criticize behavior or situations.
その対応はありえない。
That response is unacceptable.
ありえない失礼さだ。
That's an outrageous level of rudeness.
ありえないでしょ、それ。
That's just unacceptable, seriously.
ありえない comes from ある (to exist) + 得る (potential) + ない (negative), literally "cannot exist/happen." In casual usage, it's become a versatile expression for disbelief or disapproval.
Usage patterns:
- As exclamation: 「ありえない！」(No way!)
- As modifier: 「ありえない話」(unbelievable story)
- With ぐらい: 「ありえないぐらい」(unbelievably)
Similar expressions:
- ありえん (dialectal/slang variant)
- 信じられない (unbelievable)
- まさか (no way, surely not)