unmanageable

adjective

un·​man·​age·​able ˌən-ˈma-ni-jə-bəl 

: not manageable : difficult or impossible to control or manage

unmanageable hair

an almost unmanageable amount of data

The prisoner became unmanageable.

an unmanageable temper

an unmanageable number of students for one teacher

an unmanageable amount of debt

unmanageability

ˌən-ˌma-ni-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

unmanageably

ˌən-ˈma-ni-jə-blē 

adverb

an unmanageably large amount of data

Synonyms

• froward
• headstrong
• incontrollable
• intractable
• recalcitrant
• refractory
• uncontrollable
• ungovernable
• unruly
• untoward
• wayward
• willful
• wilful

Examples of unmanageable in a Sentence

an unmanageable dog who had to be returned to the pound

Recent Examples on the Web

Image Image Popular sites in cities like Kyoto, Japan’s ancient royal capital, feel increasingly unmanageable. —Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Needless to say, larger reforms such as Medicaid expansion in states without it and policies that reduce provider prices would go even further to prevent unmanageable financial burdens on patients. —Katherine Hempstead, STAT, 7 June 2024

Some community members have fought plans for additional housing developments, due to already unmanageable traffic in neighborhoods. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024

The prices aren’t yet unmanageable, because so few people are currently treated. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 12 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above