unenviable
adjective
un·en·vi·able
ˌən-ˈen-vē-ə-bəl 
: 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
Will FerrellExamples of unenviable in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Finding a new landfill site in a county with ballooning property prices will be an unenviable task.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The couple even had an in-house wedding planner, a granddaughter who had the unenviable task of ensuring that their family, spread from Hawaii to Allentown, was present at the wedding.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles had the unenviable task of replacing both their offensive and defensive coordinators following a trip to the Super Bowl.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Given how many rural areas April’s eclipse goes over, that can be an unenviable task.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Phil Bengtson was constantly in the shadow of Vince Lombardi and had the unenviable task of replacing Lombardi as head coach, which is perhaps what most fans know about him.
—Journal Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2024
A bit of housekeeping After BAFTA attendees were properly lubricated at the pre-show cocktail reception, Royal Festival Hall staff had the unenviable task of herding them into the theater, where many continued to drink champagne out of paper cups.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Chief Justice John Roberts, tasked with the unenviable goal of guiding his colleagues to a decision that spares the Court from looking like a partisan operation, seemed to nod to the challenge ahead in his question.
—TIME, 8 Feb. 2024
The latest Emmys also was in the unenviable position of vying for attention with the Monday night NFL playoff game (between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as well as results from the Iowa Republican presidential caucus.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024
Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The couple even had an in-house wedding planner, a granddaughter who had the unenviable task of ensuring that their family, spread from Hawaii to Allentown, was present at the wedding.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles had the unenviable task of replacing both their offensive and defensive coordinators following a trip to the Super Bowl.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Given how many rural areas April’s eclipse goes over, that can be an unenviable task.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Phil Bengtson was constantly in the shadow of Vince Lombardi and had the unenviable task of replacing Lombardi as head coach, which is perhaps what most fans know about him.
—Journal Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2024
A bit of housekeeping After BAFTA attendees were properly lubricated at the pre-show cocktail reception, Royal Festival Hall staff had the unenviable task of herding them into the theater, where many continued to drink champagne out of paper cups.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Chief Justice John Roberts, tasked with the unenviable goal of guiding his colleagues to a decision that spares the Court from looking like a partisan operation, seemed to nod to the challenge ahead in his question.
—TIME, 8 Feb. 2024
The latest Emmys also was in the unenviable position of vying for attention with the Monday night NFL playoff game (between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as well as results from the Iowa Republican presidential caucus.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unenviable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Unenviable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unenviable. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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