1
as in inaccessible
hard or impossible to get to or get at
an eagle's nest in an unattainable location
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished
unfortunately, world peace is probably an unattainable ideal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unattainable
Many people will find the 50-30-20 rule to be too extreme and thus unattainable.
—
Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Continuous strands of diamonds were largely unattainable to the everyday shopper.
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2025
Families nationwide depend on these tax savings for necessities and the occasional indulgence, often paying less for products that would otherwise be unattainable due to domestic price points.
—Leif Larson, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2025
As in several of Tennessee Williams’ plays of the same period, alcoholism is an issue, but Inge’s characters don’t romanticize addiction or wax poetic about their almost certainly unattainable hopes.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Continuous strands of diamonds were largely unattainable to the everyday shopper.
—Samantha Solomon, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2025
Families nationwide depend on these tax savings for necessities and the occasional indulgence, often paying less for products that would otherwise be unattainable due to domestic price points.
—Leif Larson, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2025
As in several of Tennessee Williams’ plays of the same period, alcoholism is an issue, but Inge’s characters don’t romanticize addiction or wax poetic about their almost certainly unattainable hopes.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattainable
Adjective
-
On the northeast of the fire, by Sugar Pine Mountain, crews worked in steep, inaccessible terrain to bring containment lines into the natural rock bluff, trying to cut the fire off south of the Wishon Reservoir for the protection of the critical hydroelectric infrastructure.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
These schools reinforced both racial and class divides by creating exclusive education spaces inaccessible to many Black and low-income students.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Apple has leaned more into natural photographic output, but the extra creative power and the ability to capture impossible shots that the Pixel 10 Pro offers a more attractive story to users.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
For millions of elderly or disabled people, these were daunting or impossible options.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2023, more than 7 in 10 adults in the US who were prescribed stimulant ADHD medications had problems filling their prescriptions because the medications were unavailable, according to 2024 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Dr. Jill Grimes,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Rice was unavailable for Friday’s game, serving the first game of his six-game league suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But the situation is not hopeless.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Dealing with the horrors of the situation in Gaza within the sterile environment of a call center, its workers are feeling increasingly hopeless, caught in the political crossfire of an escalating situation.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Any stable resolution is likely years away, and as untouchable as the pro game may seem, there are versions of college football’s future that look particularly good for the NFL, and versions that look more threatening.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
At the start of the summer of 2024, media reports claimed Garnacho had been classed as one of the club’s three ‘untouchable’ players that not even the largest transfer fee would prise from Old Trafford.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Getting that balance is pretty much unobtainable.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
-
However, ambiguities in the law and the complexities of implementing a program made that date unobtainable.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unattainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattainable. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share