unmanageable

adjective

ˌən-ˈma-ni-jə-bəl How to pronounce unmanageable (audio)
Definition of unmanageablenext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  1. uncontrollable
  2. stubborn
  3. intractable
  4. unruly
  5. ungovernable
  6. difficult
  7. recalcitrant
  8. wayward
Adjective
  • When an ocelot begins prowling the neighborhood and a mysterious green light appears in the sky, Bernardo is forced to confront the harsh, uncontrollable nature of growing up.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • McCall tried to create a contrast between the locations, with the Cady clan’s surroundings having an overgrown quality reflecting the uncontrollable insanity at the heart of the family.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of uncontrollable
Adjective
  • For lipedema, Power Plate points to research suggesting whole-body vibration boosts lymphatic flow, which may liquefy and drain stubborn lymph fluid, relieve swelling and ease chronic pain.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
  • The grower will plant again next season, because that is what Israelis do, and the hope in that is stubborn.
    — Frayda Leibtag, Time, 13 July 2026
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • Like most fashion editors, Bobbi was sophisticated and discerning and — like most fashion editors — often intractable with immovable points of view.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
  • For as long as the American Dream has been around, homeownership was considered an intractable piece of the wealth-building puzzle.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of intractable
Adjective
  • The 84-year-old American makes unruly mixed media sculptures that have challenged the traditional art establishment (conventionalists found her use of latex and glitter most unsettling).
    — Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • There is nothing more unfair to the board and the attending owners than when one or more owners hijack a meeting with unruly behavior.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
Definition of unruly
Adjective
  • While founder control is cited for long-term vision, the piece suggests alternative models like steward-ownership could foster accountability without sacrificing strategic focus, urging regulators to adapt to this new era of concentrated, potentially ungovernable corporate power.
    — Mary Johnstone-Louis, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
  • The vampiric Goldman Sachs that Taibbi describes is an institution, a system that became too big to fail, and thus ungovernable.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
Definition of ungovernable
Adjective
  • Her protectiveness of the island stretches back years, in part because Nantucket saved her, in a way, during a difficult time in her life.
    — Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • In the book, Hollis asks Gigi to stay after a difficult conversation about the affair.
    — Max Gao, Variety, 11 July 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
  • The experience of eating it is even more shocking … the electric crunch of passionfruit seeds giving way to exploding citrus vesicles, glimmering like wayward teardrop gems … and … was that a dehydrated banana?
    — Cooking Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Footage has been captured from behind the goal and most of the 20 attempts, to be kind, are wayward.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of wayward

Browse Nearby Words

unman
unmanageable
unmanly
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Cite this Entry

“Unmanageable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmanageable. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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