unsustainable

adjective

un·​sus·​tain·​able ˌən-sə-ˈstā-nə-bəl How to pronounce unsustainable (audio)
: not capable of being prolonged or continued : not sustainable
unsustainable agricultural practices
unsustainable growth
unsustainability noun
unsustainably adverb
an unsustainably high rate of growth

Examples of unsustainable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) has called the increase unsustainable, suggesting instead a gradual implementation over six to twelve months with a 10–15 percent rise. Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 20 Oct. 2025 Critics have said some of his own proposals sound financially unsustainable, and that the campaign promises on his website are short on details around how they’d be achieved. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025 No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 But Emma Walmsley, chief executive officer of GSK, isn’t sold on the leadership model, which is based, in part, on the idea that the CEO role has grown too vast—even unsustainable—for one person to handle. Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsustainable

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1677, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsustainable was circa 1677

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Cite this Entry

“Unsustainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsustainable. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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