untenable
/əntˈɛnəbəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.01 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Unfit for habitation.
Example Sentences
- "The theory of cold fusion was untenable."
- "They are seeking to escape from the unpleasant implications of an untenable status dilemma. They desire but cannot afford a prestigious social status."
- "The rumors about Anderson nevertheless placed Glasgow in an untenable social position, for close friends either suspected or knew of their engagement."
- "The modern family would be an artificial and untenable social structure in this early period, just as the clan appears to be an artificial institution in our own society."
- "Celebrating him [Robert E. Lee] in the time of George Floyd became, at last, untenable."
- "He describes the untenable position of the railways' finances reasonably dispassionately. From 1952 onwards, British Railways ran an operational deficit, and in 1961 made an annual loss of £86.9 million."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English tenable English untenable From un- + tenable.
Inflected Forms
more untenable (comparative)
most untenable (superlative)