unenviable

adjective

un·​en·​vi·​able ˌən-ˈen-vē-ə-bəl How to pronounce unenviable (audio)
: not desirable or pleasant : not arousing envy : not enviable
an unenviable position
Kent Alterman, our director, had the unenviable task of herding cats.Will Ferrell

Examples of unenviable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Colliton has enjoyed significant AHL success across stints in Rockford and Abbotsford, and served as the Blackhawks’ head coach for nearly three seasons from 2018-2021, while being put in the unenviable position of replacing Joel Quenneville following his dismissal in November 2018. Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 Governments remain in an unenviable position regarding strong encryption. Richard Forno, The Conversation, 16 May 2025 Gerard Martin – 7/10 Filling Balde’s shoes is an unenviable task — few full-backs in Europe possess his attacking skill set. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 16 May 2025 Henningsen has the unenviable task of playing Nick's new girlfriend, Ginny, a millennial in a sea of Gen-Xers. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unenviable

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unenviable was in 1641

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Cite this Entry

“Unenviable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unenviable. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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