uninhabitable
Britishadjective
Explanation
When it's impossible to live somewhere, that place is uninhabitable. A house is uninhabitable if is missing basic things like a roof and heat. Buildings are considered uninhabitable when they are dangerous, with holes in the floor, or exposed electrical wires that pose a fire hazard. It's not safe for people to live in those conditions. Uninhabitable regions of the world might be too cold or too hot — or, in the case of Brazil's Ilha da Queimada Grande, or "Snake Island," they might be overrun with venomous snakes.
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.
The Moore house survived, but smoke damage left it uninhabitable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, Robert Brovdi, described them as a part of the larger strategy to make the Russian-occupied peninsula uninhabitable for the occupying forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Over the past 20 years dozens of properties in the village have become uninhabitable in a battle of man versus nature with the most recent home demolished in May 2024.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Three weeks ago, part of the beautiful century-old structure collapsed, and it was declared uninhabitable.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Mud and rain could make some trenches uninhabitable.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
