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

Florent, the restaurant, stayed open until 2008, when the rent became unmanageable; the building sold a few years later for $8.6 million. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 11 July 2025

The most common reasons revolve around work-life balance, a lack of support and an unmanageable workload. —Drew Gerber, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Manual tracking is error-prone and becomes unmanageable as the company grows. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

The sateen shell kept cool, and the weight and thickness of this insert were ideal and not too unwieldy, too fluffy or unmanageable. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 30 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unmanageable

• manageable