UNMANAGEABLE Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

unmanageable

adjective

ˌən-ˈma-ni-jə-bəl

Definition of unmanageable

as in uncontrollable

given to resisting control or discipline by others an unmanageable dog who had to be returned to the pound

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 unmanageable Unkempt vines will continue to grow vigorously and become unmanageable. — Derek Carwood, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2026 Today, people amass unmanageable debt simply to keep faith with a story that feels increasingly detached from their reality. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 When your credit card debt is unmanageable, check with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling about what other options might be available. — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 June 2026 Its loss leaves a noticeable gap in the network, but not an unmanageable one, scientists say. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unmanageable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmanageable

Adjective

Security experts, however, say these events are likely to continue happening given the fundamentally uncontrollable nature of advanced AI systems.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
As surveillance and interrogation deepen, the line between loyalty and obsession blurs, leading both men into a dangerous and uncontrollable connection.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of uncontrollable

Adjective

Volatile job numbers, stubborn inflation and changes to the Fed’s communications style are all stirring up uncertainty in markets and raising the stakes for upcoming economic data releases — including this week’s inflation report.

— John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
The softening job market may complicate the calculation for the Federal Reserve, which is also battling stubborn inflation.

— Scott Horsley, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of stubborn

Adjective

Even those who believe diplomacy remains a viable path to peace acknowledge the future of the strait presents an intractable problem.

— Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
The broken line, the hard scar of the dash—these are gestures toward the uncertain and intractable distance between self and other, presence and absence, ‘awareness’ and its loss.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of intractable

Adjective

His long, often unruly lines, while not always ear-pleasing to me, are attractive in their chaotic nature.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Where season three frustrated with its aimless pacing, its unruly plotting, its self-congratulatory strain of goodness, new showrunner Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Modern Family) dials back the worst of the show’s excesses.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of unruly

Adjective

But obviously the Senate has been a little ungovernable on this issue and a few others.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
The question that could cut through all of this is whether UEFA follows through with its threat of a boycott and non-cooperation, both of which could make FIFA ungovernable for Infantino.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of ungovernable

Adjective

Establishing that sense of familiarity requires time spent playing and training together, something made more difficult by a constant carousel of new signings.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.

— Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
The patron saint of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was Fannie Lou Hamer—recalcitrant sharecropper turned agitator and, like the Democratic presidential nominee, a black woman.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026

Definition of recalcitrant

Adjective

In Season 2, a boxer on the rise named Danny Moon (Jin Ha) hires Sugar to find his missing, wayward brother, Ji-Seok (Raymond Lee).

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Earlier this week, a piece of a SpaceX rocket joined the ranks of space rocks and other wayward spacecraft that have slammed into the moon and become permanent fixtures of our celestial neighbor's surface.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of wayward

Browse Nearby Words

unman

unmanageable

unmanly

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“Unmanageable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmanageable. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unmanageable

adjective

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