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
Examples 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
This approach provides a pathway to higher education without the fear of overwhelming debt, especially in fields where traditional loans are often unattainable.
—
Will Fan, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
But the top three were simply unattainable — as the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots refused to trade down and miss out on Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.
—Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Disengagement from an unattainable goal is not a sign of failure, but a sophisticated form of adaptive behavior.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Political sorting has hurt Democrats in the Senate For decades, Democratic candidates for Senate in many rural states performed far better than those states' presidential partisanship, enabling the party to win large majorities unattainable with blue states alone.
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unattainable 
Will Fan, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
But the top three were simply unattainable — as the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots refused to trade down and miss out on Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.
—Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Disengagement from an unattainable goal is not a sign of failure, but a sophisticated form of adaptive behavior.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Political sorting has hurt Democrats in the Senate For decades, Democratic candidates for Senate in many rural states performed far better than those states' presidential partisanship, enabling the party to win large majorities unattainable with blue states alone.
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unattainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattainable
Adjective
-
A week after flames damaged the restaurant and destroyed huge swaths of the oceanside area, Gladstones remained shuttered and inaccessible to the public as the Palisades fire continued to rage.Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
-
Internet service providers will also be required to make the app inaccessible to U.S. internet browsers.Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, doing that kind of data cleansing lift is impossible for some companies.Kathleen Hurley, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
-
In the transfer portal era and with the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL), some argue doing so is impossible.David Ubben, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
And consumers seem to have a strong interest in in-store pickup options; according to Locally data, nearly half of e-commerce shoppers abandoned their carts if local pickup was unavailable during the 2024 holiday season.Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 16 Jan. 2025
-
Which is why then-Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe kept Domi on Matthews’ right wing (instead of Marner) when the playoffs began (before again moving Domi back to the middle when Matthews was unavailable due to injury).Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The battle between parents and tech-savvy children over access to the Internet and apps might seem hopeless.Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
-
Burns is asked how to avoid feeling hopeless during a stretch like this.Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
This is why they are not regarded as untouchable and the same applies for most of the first-team squad.Carl Anka, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
-
Up until this point, Domínguez has seemingly been looked at as untouchable for the Yankees.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The house, the cars, and the security that seemed so unobtainable back then have come through work and time.Wes Siler, Outside Online, 19 Sep. 2024
-
Modern-day computers, subject to the Von Neumann bottleneck, are primarily composed of series circuits, so a comparable level of information processing is unobtainable.Lindsey Laughlin, Ars Technica, 10 July 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unattainable
Cite this Entry
“Unattainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattainable. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share