untenable

[ uhn-ten-uh-buhl ]

/ ʌnˈtɛn ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR untenable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

incapable of being defended, as an argument, thesis, etc.; indefensible.

not fit to be occupied, as an apartment, house, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of untenable

First recorded in 1640–50; un-¹ + tenable

SYNONYMS FOR untenable

1. baseless, groundless, unsound, weak, questionable.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR untenable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·ten·a·bil·i·ty, un·ten·a·ble·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for untenable

Does this hunk of glass make up for his untenable relationships?
And The Escort of The Year Is… Backstage at The Sex Oscars|Scott Bixby|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What exists now is unworkable, untenable, and damn near unendurable.
Memo to the South: Go Ahead, Secede Already!|Lee Siegel|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some calculating pol, realizing that his position had become unpopular or untenable, would execute a backflip off the high board.
The New Era of Evolution Helps Pols Switch Stance on Issues from Gay Marriage to Immigration|Howard Kurtz|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The idea of suffering this nausea another day, let alone another 34 weeks, was untenable.
Prue Clarke on Her Battles With Kate Middleton’s Illness, Hyperemesis Gravidarum|Prue Clarke|December 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The war between Israel and Hamas shows that the situation on the ground is fundamentally unstable and untenable.
The Death of Israel's "Quality Minority"|Hussein Ibish|November 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It is hardly necessary to observe that this argument is untenable.
The Idea of Progress|J. B. Bury
I have shown in the eleventh chapter of the Riddle that it is untenable.
The Wonders of Life|Ernst Haeckel
But chemists were not long in showing that this position is untenable.
The Story of the Living Machine|H. W. Conn
The irrelevancy of this detail gives Lætitia an excuse for waiving the cab-question, on which her position is untenable.
Somehow Good|William de Morgan
But the good sense of the German people would not suffer their ruler to place them in a position so false and so untenable.
Edison's Conquest of Mars|Garrett Putnam Serviss

British Dictionary definitions for untenable

untenable

/ (ʌnˈtɛnəbəl) /

adjective

(of theories, propositions, etc) incapable of being maintained, defended, or vindicated

unable to be maintained against attack

rare (of a house, etc) unfit for occupation

Derived Formsuntenability or untenableness, noununtenably, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for untenable

untenable

adj.

1640s, "incapable of being held against attack," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of tenable. Figurative sense is recorded from 1690s.

untenable

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of untenable

Examples from the Web for untenable

untenable

adjective

untenable