untenable

adjective

un·​ten·​a·​ble ˌən-ˈte-nə-bəl How to pronounce untenable (audio)
1
: not able to be defended
an untenable position
2
: not able to be occupied
untenable apartments
untenability noun

Did you know?

Untenable and its opposite tenable come to us from Old French tenir ("to hold, have possession of") and ultimately from Latin tenēre ("to hold, occupy, possess"). We tend to use untenable in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding onto it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold onto the meaning of untenable is to associate it with other tenēre descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding onto." Tenacious ("holding fast") is one example. Others are contain, detain, sustain, maintain, and retain.

Examples of untenable in a Sentence

The Agriculture Department is in an untenable position. With the two hats that it wears—one to protect consumer health and the other to help farmers sell food—it cannot tell us to eat fewer calories. After all, fewer calories generally mean less food, which would fly in the face of the department's mandate to help farmers. Marian Burros, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2002
But scholars are citizens, too, and if it is wrongheaded to demand political payoff from basic research, it would be equally untenable to demand that research be quarantined from the real-world considerations that weigh so heavily upon us. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times, 4 Apr. 1998
All the theories of the Moon's origin proposed before the Apollo Moon landings of 1969 … became untenable when the rocks returned from the Moon proved to be as old as the Earth and significantly dissimilar. Physics Today, January 1997
The problem was then resolved—not by finding that the conduct in question was justified, because that would have offended the judge's sense of order, and not by rejecting the applicability of the defense, which would have led to a reportable opinion and an appeal—but through a dismissal of the charges on the wholly untenable ground that the prosecution had not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Edward N. Costikyan, New York Times Book Review, 13 Mar. 1988
Recent Examples on the Web In addition to the possibility of danger, working amid the current chaos had become untenable, with shops running out of food and only intermittent electricity and communications, the source added. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Now, six years after Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong bought The Times in 2018, the lease on the Olympic plant is expiring, and paying rent has become untenable. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The computational power needed to train top AI programs has doubled every six months over the past decade and may soon become untenable. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 That's obviously untenable for a 32-year-old left tackle who has played in just 13 regular-season contests in the last three seasons, including one in 2023 before he was shut down due to a cartilage issue in his left knee. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Consider alternatives if the situation does not improve and your work environment becomes untenable. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 But the tragic incident raised fresh questions over safety in the American public square — and whether the proliferation of gun violence is rendering large-scale gatherings untenable for many, especially parents fearful for their children’s safety. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 The time savings allowed the company to do a land deal to build a new community in Springdale, Arkansas, that would have otherwise been untenable due to interest costs and fees and to book an additional $10 million in revenue in 2023 by being ahead of schedule with 20 homes. Amy Feldman, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Many of us programmers know the current situation is untenable. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'untenable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

un- entry 1 + tenable

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of untenable was in 1647

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Dictionary Entries Near untenable

Cite this Entry

“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untenable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

untenable

adjective
un·​ten·​a·​ble ˌən-ˈten-ə-bəl How to pronounce untenable (audio)
1
: not able to be defended
an untenable position
2
: not able to be occupied
untenable apartments
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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