unattainable

adjective

ˌən-ə-ˈtā-nə-bəl How to pronounce unattainable (audio)
Definition of unattainablenext
1
as in inaccessible
hard or impossible to get to or get at an eagle's nest in an unattainable location

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished unfortunately, world peace is probably an unattainable ideal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unattainable Decades later, fulfilling the typical American Dream of a home with white picket fence dotting the front lawn has become all but unattainable, as home prices have soared 235% since January 2000. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026 As a young couple with three children in the 1970s, Teresita Palomeque and her husband thought buying a house was an unattainable dream. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2026 By completing a four-game sweep of the Rays the Red Sox are in a place where the American League East title no longer looks unattainable. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026 By completing a four-game sweep of the Rays the Red Sox are in a place where the AL East title no longer looks unattainable. — Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattainable
  1. inaccessible
  2. impossible
  3. unavailable
  4. hopeless
  5. untouchable
  6. unobtainable
Adjective
  • Businesses that understood social media early could reach audiences that had previously been inaccessible without significant advertising budgets or traditional media exposure.
    — Matteo Pittaluga, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Without a car, the entrance to the lobby feels nearly inaccessible from the street.
    — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of inaccessible
Adjective
  • Elwood told his boss – Peter Brown, a former member of the Beatles’ inner circle and the founder of Brown Lloyd James – that the assignment was impossible.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Such components can benefit from additive manufacturing because the technology lets engineers create geometries that would be difficult or impossible to produce with traditional manufacturing methods.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of impossible
Adjective
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID dashboard, new data on strains is currently unavailable due to low sequencing submissions.
    — Christy Santhosh, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Nearly every major contributor was unavailable after being used to the brink over the course of the homestand.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unavailable
Adjective
  • Corruption was endemic, and the country’s deeper troubles—its poverty, its social inequities, and the hopeless conditions that drive millions of Nepalis to emigrate for work—endured, laying the kindling for last year’s explosion.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, love in a hopeless place is worth the price of admission.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hopeless
Adjective
  • Ahmed is heartened by the pushback against Hindu nationalism in recent years from progressive Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Dalits, members of the former untouchable caste in India who have historically faced discrimination.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As Dolly Parton leaves behind an untouchable legacy, Bill Maher went for an easy boob joke in his on-air tribute.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of untouchable
Adjective
  • Had the agency not restructured its mission plans, NASA's goal of landing astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade would have very likely been unobtainable.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 26 June 2026
  • There is Tamara, a city where signs symbolize unobtainable meanings.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of unobtainable

Browse Nearby Words

unattainability
unattainable
unattended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unattainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattainable. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All