: not adaptable: such as
a
: not capable of adjusting to new conditions or situations
people who are unadaptable to change
b
: not capable of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses
An economy that is … unadaptable is not efficient. Jane Jacobs
an unadaptable computer system

Examples of unadaptable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The novel has been adapted by Noah Baumbach into a feature film starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, despite a reputation for being unadaptable because of its density of detail and its fractured, occasionally absurdist plot. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2022 For years, Frank Herbert’s sweeping 1965 sci-fi novel — set in the distant future on a desert planet where powerful clans fight for control over the most precious substance in the universe — was considered all but unadaptable. Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unadaptable was in 1882

Dictionary Entries Near unadaptable

Cite this Entry

“Unadaptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unadaptable. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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