1
as in inaccessible
hard or impossible to get to or get at
an eagle's nest in an unattainable location
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished
unfortunately, world peace is probably an unattainable ideal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unattainable
Herd immunity is about more than just eliminating transmission by reaching an often unattainable threshold of population-level protection.
—
Virginia E. Pitzer, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
In the case of a sacrosanct, seemingly unattainable number like Kobe’s 81, chasing a stat doesn’t feel so different from chasing a ring.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
But that goal will be difficult—verging on unattainable—and would likely require a lengthy military commitment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
While the world continues to push unattainable beauty standards into every aspect of our lives, women of all ages are quietly protesting the status quo by starting a revolution that embraces aging and natural beauty rather than rejecting them.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Virginia E. Pitzer, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
In the case of a sacrosanct, seemingly unattainable number like Kobe’s 81, chasing a stat doesn’t feel so different from chasing a ring.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
But that goal will be difficult—verging on unattainable—and would likely require a lengthy military commitment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
While the world continues to push unattainable beauty standards into every aspect of our lives, women of all ages are quietly protesting the status quo by starting a revolution that embraces aging and natural beauty rather than rejecting them.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattainable
Adjective
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Video replays are now inaccessible to officials until the final two minutes of the game, meaning the bench has unseen angles at its disposal.—
Maura Carey,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Around 2 million student loan borrowers who faced delinquency last year saw an average 100-point drop in their credit scores from 680 to 580, a below-average rating that makes good loan terms virtually inaccessible.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For the uninitiated, Horses was one of those buzzy, impossible-to-get-into, celebrity-magnet restaurants in LA.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
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The results show that reproduction could pose a real challenge for future space settlers, but it still can’t be ruled out as impossible.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The only unavailable Heat players were the three-way contract trio of Vlad Goldin, Trevor Keels and Jahmir Young, who are all in the G League.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Four-fifths of the Celtics’ starting lineup could be unavailable when the team visits Charlotte on Sunday.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In the wild, these mutants are hopeless, failing to send offspring into the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Neglecting himself to worship a projection, Narcissus isn’t so much struck down by the gods as he is lost to hopeless delusion.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Yet Carlton — whose family wielded influence in Tulsa — seemed untouchable.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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What mattered more than his terseness was that Norris was allowed to land a few meaningful blows against the usually untouchable Lee, who stars as Tang Lung, a fighter summoned to defend a restaurant owner menaced by a crime boss.—
Chris Klimek,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Prices are inflated in January and, as Everton found, many top targets are often unobtainable.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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In his case, the beloved was the unobtainable Beatrice Portinari, a wealthy banker’s daughter whom Dante claimed to have loved from their first meeting, when both were children—a bit of charming self-mythology—and steadily on until her untimely death, at twenty-four.—
Claudia Roth Pierpont,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unattainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattainable. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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