as in unacceptable
too bad to be excused or justified
the city's lack of preparedness for a major natural disaster was utterly indefensible
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Recent Examples of indefensible
But to take your best friend's Holocaust survival story and pass it off as your own for quite some time seems indefensible.
—
Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
It has been driven by Israeli actions that are increasingly seen as disproportionate and indefensible.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 23 Aug. 2025
By excluding these benefits, the EPA is effectively assigning no value to American lives saved, an indefensible position for EPA.
—Margo T. Oge, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
This is dangerously anti-democratic and indefensible.
—Larry Hogan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indefensible
Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
It has been driven by Israeli actions that are increasingly seen as disproportionate and indefensible.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 23 Aug. 2025
By excluding these benefits, the EPA is effectively assigning no value to American lives saved, an indefensible position for EPA.
—Margo T. Oge, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
This is dangerously anti-democratic and indefensible.
—Larry Hogan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indefensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indefensible
Adjective
-
Denying people the essentials necessary for their survival, to obtain compliance or a political agreement, should be unacceptable.—
Anna Halford,
Time,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The heinous, appalling and unjustifiable massacre of October 7 followed decades of violence.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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Other comedians have pointed to the inconsistency of balking at performing in Saudi Arabia when other governments around the world also sponsor morally unjustifiable actions.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The failure to see this coming was an inexcusable Democratic strategic catastrophe.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The ivory tower is losing luster by the second, after campuses around the country proved to be hotbeds of antisemitism, grade inflation has spiked rather than dissipated, and outrageous tuitions fund outlandish administrative salaries.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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The premise sounds exceedingly dark, but the outrageous violence and setpieces allow for the catharsis of squirms and nervous laughter.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Conservatives and Republicans in Congress continue to claim that the cost of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits is an insupportable burden on America, so benefits need to be cut, though President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to preserve entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Jan. 2025
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There are people of goodwill who think the way out of this insupportable situation lies in the fight for equal democratic rights in a single state for everyone living in the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.—
Michelle Goldberg,
The Mercury News,
14 Mar. 2024
Adjective
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The episode is dotted with telling references to Oklahoma’s notorious history of racial intolerance, but its central plotline is the fallout from Lee’s unforgivable blabbermouthing.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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The two men do eventually join forces, however, once Dante’s goons cross an unforgivable line.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
If Sam is wrong, his journalistic sin is unpardonable.—
Neal B. Freeman,
National Review,
13 May 2025
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Attacking innocent citizens, in this case tourists, is utterly appalling and unpardonable.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The boos were booming and vicious.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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This ad hoc ecosystem of technology is creating a vicious cycle where the very technology meant to solve problems ends up creating more.—
Daniel Kendzior,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indefensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indefensible. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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