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
In that sense, what Spotify is saying is indefensible.
—
Natalia Cano, Billboard, 15 Jan. 2026
The killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week sure has prompted a lot of indefensible responses.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The shift away from recommending that all children six months or older receive an annual flu shot is particularly indefensible on the heels of last year’s flu season, which was the deadliest for kids in two decades, and amid a severe flu season this year that is straining hospitals nationwide.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
This was an act of naked and indefensible aggression.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for indefensible
Natalia Cano, Billboard, 15 Jan. 2026
The killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week sure has prompted a lot of indefensible responses.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The shift away from recommending that all children six months or older receive an annual flu shot is particularly indefensible on the heels of last year’s flu season, which was the deadliest for kids in two decades, and amid a severe flu season this year that is straining hospitals nationwide.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
This was an act of naked and indefensible aggression.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for indefensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indefensible
Adjective
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Broadcasting a racial slur is completely unacceptable and harmful.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Japan formally protested the measures as absolutely unacceptable, calling them violations of international trade practice and demanding their immediate removal.—
Simina Mistreanu,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Time away from her family felt increasingly unjustifiable.—
Esha Chhabra,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
There are some problematic cases already in the Hall, and the inconsistency grows increasingly unjustifiable.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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The position Casey Wasserman has put his agents in is inexcusable.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But it’s evolved into an even better production, one that manages to be simultaneously outrageous and moving, carrying its conflicting emotional extremes with grace and nuance.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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The least outrageous liquid should be number one and the most outrageous should be the highest number.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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 organisation’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-Word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2026
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For the Chinese Communist Party, which stakes its claim to legitimacy on defeating Japanese invaders during World War II, that would be an unforgivable outrage.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
More to the point: Doing nothing would be unpardonable.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
27 Nov. 2025
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If Sam is wrong, his journalistic sin is unpardonable.—
Neal B. Freeman,
National Review,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
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These forces—economic uncertainty, political division, and toxic algorithms—work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness… that kindness is gullibility… that sincerity is for suckers.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Indefensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indefensible. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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