unsustainable

adjective un·sus·tain·able \ ˌən-sə-ˈstā-nə-bəl \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Definition of unsustainable

: not capable of being prolonged or continued : not sustainable

unsustainable agricultural practices

unsustainable growth

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unsustainability

play \ˌən-sə-ˌstā-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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unsustainably

play \ˌən-sə-ˈstā-nə-blē\ adverb

- an unsustainably high rate of growth

See unsustainable defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unsustainable from the Web

Since 2009, Greece has suffered from an unsustainable national debt problem.

— michael taylor, San Antonio Express-News, "Think the U.S. is at odds? Consider Greece.," 26 June 2018
Tax concessions made by the government to end a truckers’ strike in May have raised concerns about its failure to reform Brazil’s pension system, on which the IMF says spending is unsustainable.

— richard barley, WSJ, "The Fed Dulls Hopes of an Emerging Market Rebound," 15 June 2018
That new plant paired with a steady increase in milk production when milk consumption is declining is unsustainable, Dean's Brent Bunce wrote in the letter.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky dairy farmers face devastation as milk market runs dry," 23 May 2018
Fiscal conservatives have argued that property taxes, the majority of which are collected by local school districts, are unsustainable high.

— shelby webb, Houston Chronicle, "Klein ISD may consider mass job cuts after voters reject tax hike," 18 June 2018
Then again, my senses are heightened, my visual acuity second to none, and my current rate of inflated self-importance frankly unsustainable.

— kimberly harrington, The Cut, "Behold, I Am a New Parent," 1 June 2018
Republicans had previously been near unified in blocking past expansion efforts, saying the long-term costs were unsustainable.

— alan suderman, chicagotribune.com, "Virginia lawmakers approve Medicaid expansion," 30 May 2018
Let’s hope so, because our current levels of consumer waste are frankly unsustainable.

— kristen a. schmitt, Smithsonian, "Are These Baked Mushroom Sandals the Future of Fashion?," 23 May 2018
More than 90 percent of Canada’s forests are publicly owned, and forestry laws requiring replanting were enacted in the mid-1980s out of concern that harvest practices at the time were unsustainable.

— luc forsyth, National Geographic, "For Cash and Pride, Replanting Canada's Forests by the Millions," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unsustainable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.