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

• uncontrollable
• stubborn
• intractable
• unruly
• ungovernable
• difficult
• wilful
• recalcitrant
• wayward
• willful
• out of hand
• rebellious
• refractory
• headstrong

Examples of unmanageable in a Sentence

an unmanageable dog who had to be returned to the pound

Recent Examples on the Web

For many families, those costs are unmanageable, and yet the emotional toll of being far away is even higher. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025

Tuition costs are soaring to unmanageable levels, once-stable education paths like computer science are now on rocky ground thanks to AI automation, and a diploma no longer guarantees a six-figure salary. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025

Of those, 81% prioritize paying for their kids over paying their debt, and nearly half say that their debt is unmanageable. —Jana Pollack, Parents, 11 Sep. 2025

But the team has mitigated what would have been an unmanageable $180 million hit by rebalancing sourcing away from China, renegotiating vendor terms and optimizing freight. —John Buckingham, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unmanageable

• manageable