unenviable

adjective

Definition of unenviablenext
as in undesirable

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of unenviable Two of the band’s shows in Fort Worth, scheduled for June 30 and July 2, are now occurring on July 11 and July 13, respectively, as Lee has contracted the unenviable combination of laryngitis and bronchitis. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 1 July 2026 Austria advances out of the group stage for the first time since 1982 — but as the Group J runner-up gets the unenviable task of meeting powerful Spain in its next game. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026 The Luc Robitaille era has now spanned nine seasons, six head coaches and two GMs while producing zero playoff series victories, placing the Kings in an unenviable position to have a less-than-robust pipeline feeding an aging, mediocre roster. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 25 June 2026 Britain has become a member of an unenviable club. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unenviable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unenviable
  1. undesirable
  2. abominable
  3. horrid
  4. ghastly
  5. hellish
Adjective
  • The awkward plant caused the ligaments in my right knee to stretch to an undesirable degree, which limited my ability to walk or run for weeks.
    — Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • All of these tracks featured commercial instrumentation pulled from romplers, MIDI banks, and sample CDs—an unabashed embrace of sounds once considered tacky and undesirable.
    — Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026
Definition of undesirable
Adjective
  • Those who are at the club often seem either disinterested or go into their shells, contributing to an abominable home record at a stadium where opposing teams and fans usually have a great day out.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2026
  • And would that really lower our appalling, outrageous, abominable electric bills?
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Definition of abominable
Adjective
  • Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described horrid conditions the children were in, saying there was a high presence of feces and bacterial matter.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026
  • While the gummies themselves weren’t old, the smell and the taste are horrid.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026
Definition of horrid
Adjective
  • Wilson was a ghastly 6 of 21 from the free-throw line and led all summer leaguers in turnovers despite only playing 110 minutes.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Wilder’s work has since faced criticism for depicting some ghastly attitudes toward Native Americans.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
Definition of ghastly
Adjective
  • Even with the hellish conditions bearing down around them, the engineers were able to find moments of levity.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026
  • In the new film, the Necronomicon — aka the Book of the Dead — creates a hellish nightmare for a widow, Alice (Souheila Yacoub), and her in-laws following the tragic death of Alice’s husband, Will (George Pullar).
    — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of hellish

Browse Nearby Words

unenthusiastic
unenviable
unenvious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unenviable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unenviable. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All