untreatable

adjective

un·​treat·​able ˌən-ˈtrē-tə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio)
: not yielding or responsive to medical treatment : not treatable
an untreatable disease
These infections cause an untreatable degeneration of the nervous system …Jared Diamond
The location of the cancer rendered him untreatable by further surgery.Nancy J. Kubel
untreatably adverb

Examples of untreatable 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.
This could lead to untreatable infections that spread through human, animal, and plant populations. Liyam Chitayat, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025 While this should have prevented the deadly and untreatable illness from developing, New South Wales Health confirmed that he had been diagnosed with it in a July 2 release. Escher Walcott, People.com, 16 July 2025 Conditions once deemed untreatable—complex fractures, spinal tumors, and deformities like scoliosis (sideways curvature), kyphosis (forward curvature), or excessive lordosis (backward curvature)—are now manageable, even life-saving. Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 Her great-grandmom’s sudden death due to the then untreatable disease tuberculosis caused all those hardships. Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for untreatable

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of untreatable was in 1865

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Cite this Entry

“Untreatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untreatable. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

untreatable

adjective
un·​treat·​able -ˈtrēt-ə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio)
: not susceptible to medical treatment
untreatable patients
an untreatable disease
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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