unsustainable

adjective

un·​sus·​tain·​able ˌən-sə-ˈstā-nə-bəl How to pronounce unsustainable (audio)
Synonyms of unsustainablenext
: 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
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That is a politically unsustainable arrangement, leading to the polling now showing up in Gallup. Warren Wimmer, Mercury News, 24 June 2026 In November 2025, the World Bank's first-ever Global Water Monitoring Report estimated the world is losing 324 billion cubic meters of freshwater annually (roughly enough to meet the needs of 280 million people) driven by drought, deforestation and unsustainable land and water management. Chris Morris, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 In 2011, the bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission determined that the crisis was triggered in part by Greenspan’s failure to discourage trade in securities backed by subprime mortgage loans amid an unsustainable housing boom and his promotion of financial industry deregulation. Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 22 June 2026 However, even if the agreement holds, the recent sell-off may prove unsustainable in the short term. Sam Meredith,justina Lee, CNBC, 19 June 2026 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 25 Jun. 2026.

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