as in misleading
formal
not capable of being defended against attack or criticism; not tenable
an untenable argument The theory is untenable.
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Recent Examples of untenable
Studio insiders said that ultimately, shooting this summer was untenable, as the team would have had to rush through prep to hit the right weather conditions at the right time.
—
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
Classical methods of solving these problems, which often involve churning through possible solutions in clever ways, quickly become untenable.
—Stephen Ornes, Wired News, 27 Apr. 2025
Because of inflation, and because child care has never received any meaningful public support in America, most communities are now in an untenable situation where tuition is unaffordable for families, pay is too low for teachers and an increasing majority of preschools struggle to just break even.
—Howard C Wu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
Eventually, in 2019, the Business Round Table realized that business based totally on the self-interest of short-term profits was untenable and officially renounced it.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
Classical methods of solving these problems, which often involve churning through possible solutions in clever ways, quickly become untenable.
—Stephen Ornes, Wired News, 27 Apr. 2025
Because of inflation, and because child care has never received any meaningful public support in America, most communities are now in an untenable situation where tuition is unaffordable for families, pay is too low for teachers and an increasing majority of preschools struggle to just break even.
—Howard C Wu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025
Eventually, in 2019, the Business Round Table realized that business based totally on the self-interest of short-term profits was untenable and officially renounced it.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
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The report also included a number of ‘weak’ odor sources observed during the study, including odors emanating from the Curaleaf cannabis facility on Britt Road and Goldflower Cannabis facility on Niles Road.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2025
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Thompson’s brother Maurice, who allegedly drove the chasing Chevrolet Equinox, was granted bail in October — indicating a potentially weak case.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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After a 14-year break, the Final Destination franchise returns with another installment sure to inspire a host of new irrational fears.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
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Free agency is in the distant past, the NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror and, barring any major swerves, many fans are piecing team depth charts together with irrational confidence while anxiously waiting for Wednesday’s schedule release.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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In a unanimous opinion, the justices said courts can look beyond the exact moment a police officer is using deadly force to determine if the force was unreasonable.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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Given the high degree of regulation and data privacy concerns within our industry, this isn’t an unreasonable question, to say nothing of the cost of bespoke software solutions.—
Tom Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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