unprintable

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   too offensive, shocking, or legally objectionable to be published in print

   His reply was so obscene that the editor called it unprintable.

2. 2
   adj

   unable to be printed, displayed, or represented as ordinary text

   The control code is unprintable but still occupies one byte.

Formed from un- ("not") + printable, itself print + -able. The literal sense is "unable to be printed"; the prominent editorial sense treats offensive or objectionable words as unfit for publication.

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