can't even
verb/ˈkænt ˌiːvən/ · /ˈkɑːnt ˌiːvən/
Etymology An aposiopesis of "(I) can't even believe it", "can't even process it" or some comparable expression.
1
No past participle, No present participle Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can't, even.
- He’s nine years old, and can’t even tie his own shoelaces!
2
No past participle, No present participle, Slang Without a following verb, as an expression of aporia: to be unable to express one's feelings about an overwhelming situation.
- Oh my God, I got cheap tickets to the Beyoncé concert! I can’t even!
- I – being a MASSIVE IDIOT – had a go at him… then agreed to meet up again, but before that happened he… ghosted me again. I tracked him down on Facebook and and^([sic]) he said his new phone had got water damage (I can’t even).2019 October 23, Hayley Quinn, Paisley Gilmour, “An essential guide to 'zombieing' - the dating trend that's worse than ghosting”, in Cosmopolitan:
- Related terms
- I can't, unable to can