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Synonyms

unobtainable

British  
/ ˌʌnəbˈteɪnəbəl /

adjective

  1. not able to be obtained

"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

Explanation

Whether it’s an unobtainable career in the NBA, an unobtainable friendship with the Queen of England, or an unobtainable new Japanese video game, the word unobtainable refers to something that you just can’t get. Unobtainable can describe anything that you can’t get: big or small. The word is often applied to abstract things such as dreams or goals that are out of reach, but it can also describe people. That desirable person who doesn’t love you back? Unobtainable. It can also describe everyday items that can’t be acquired, like the hottest toy of the year that’s unobtainable because it has sold out in every store.

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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.