unbuildable

adjective

un·​build·​able ˌən-ˈbil-də-bəl How to pronounce unbuildable (audio)
: not able to be built or suitable for building : not buildable
an unbuildable bridge
an unbuildable lot
unbuildable wetlands

Examples of unbuildable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The cliff-like, and seemingly unbuildable, small lot next to Mr. Smith’s house was purchased for $305,000 by a developer from China. Nancy Keates, WSJ, 5 May 2022 Many parcels do not have public road access or may be unbuildable because of water proximity. Liliana Webb, Detroit Free Press, 2 July 2022 The original map from the Hollywoodland development planned for 1175 lots, but some of those lots were unbuildable, some roads were never developed and some of the land was deeded to Griffith Park. Nancy Keates, WSJ, 5 May 2022 The power couple, together for three decades, put their home in 2003 in Golden Valley's Cedarhurst neighborhood on a quarter-acre lot that was supposed to be unbuildable. Rohan Preston, Star Tribune, 9 July 2021 This is where most car companies, and most CEOs, would have left the Coupe: as a show car, a brand avatar, exaggerated and unbuildable, with no shot at a business case. Dan Neil, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020 In less exclusive, densely populated regions, the only remaining virgin land is often steeply sloping parcels that were previously thought unbuildable. Kris Frieswick, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2018 The difference is that Rube Goldberg never built his inventions; most are unbuildable. Edward Rothstein, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2018 What can those homeowners do? » Buyers' money is locked up in unbuildable land. Benny L. Kass, chicagotribune.com, 31 Jan. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unbuildable was in 1870

Dictionary Entries Near unbuildable

Cite this Entry

“Unbuildable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unbuildable. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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