unenviable

British

/ ʌnˈɛnvɪəbəl /

adjective

not to be envied

the unenviable task

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While ultimately Southgate did not win anything with England, he did the unenviable but necessary work of changing the culture and laying the foundations for future success.

From BBC

The report acknowledged that leaders "were presented with unenviable choices" and "had to make decisions in conditions of extreme pressure".

From BBC

And as it looks for an ad-revenue model, OpenAI is in the unenviable position of competing with Google, which has its own suite of mass-market AI tools and far deeper roots in advertising.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plum had her hands full with the opposing backcourt, and Hamby drew the unenviable assignment of battling the league’s best in Wilson.

From Los Angeles Times

Like many Australians, Rach grew up "terrified of the sun" in a country that has the unenviable title of skin cancer capital of the world.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023