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

Examples of unenviable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety. —Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026

Shortly thereafter, however, news broke that Collier’s 3rd & Fernwood (also in an unenviable location in Midtown) closed due to financial troubles and staff shortages. —Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026

Rubio made the rounds on the Sunday shows, but plenty of questions remain about his unenviable new assignment. —Editorial Board, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2026

And with that comes a miserable, complicated, and ironically unenviable predicament for general manager Mike Grier. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unenviable

• agreeable
• foreseeable
• disagreeable
• unforeseeable
• friable