unplayable

English

Etymology

un- +‎ playable

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

unplayable (comparative more unplayable, superlative most unplayable)

1. That cannot be played; that is impossible or unreasonable (too difficult, etc.) to play.
   1. (of a musical work) That cannot be played, that is too hard too play.
   2. (of a video game) That cannot be played, or is so tedious, complicated, buggy, etc., as to discourage or preclude playing.
      • 1988, Lazer Tag (game review in Your Sinclair issue 32, August 1988)

        Unoriginal, unplayable, overpriced and generally unappealing.

   3. (of an audio or visual recording) Unable to be played on specified equipment, or at all.
      • 2010, Mark Berresford, That's Got 'Em!: The Life and Music of Wilbur C. Sweatman, page 143:

        Apparently the Edison company failed to consider, or chose to ignore, the fact that their records were made using the “hill and dale” vertical-cut recording groove and therefore unplayable on standard (and much cheaper) gramophones […]

   4. (sports, of a ball or shuttlecock) Impossible to play or to defend against.

Translations

that cannot be played

• Dutch: onbespeelbaar
• Finnish: pelauskelvoton (game), soittokelvoton (music or video)
• French: injouable (fr)
• Polish: niegrywalny
• Swedish: ospelbar