Synonyms

unsustainable

American

[uhn-suh-stey-nuh-buhl] / ˌʌn səˈsteɪ nə bəl /

adjective

not sustainable; not to be supported, maintained, upheld, or corroborated.

Other Word Forms

unsustainably adverb

Etymology

Origin of unsustainable

1670–80; un- ¹ + sustainable ( def. )

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.

Councils welcomed the change, saying rising costs had made Send spending "unsustainable", but teaching unions echoed the OBR's warning of an impact on school spending.

From BBC

Earlier this month, S&P Global Ratings downgraded China Vanke’s credit rating further into junk territory, to CCC from B-minus, saying the company’s financial commitments appear to be unsustainable.

From The Wall Street Journal

The university added all but four of its modern language courses had fewer than 10 students on them and they were currently "unsustainable".

From BBC

"The current pretence is unsustainable, and seems to put all the burden and blame on the victims," he told the BBC.

From BBC

However, there were some of us who knew the method was unsustainable.

From BBC

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