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
During peak times, trades can take minutes and cost more than $30, which is untenable for both retail users and professional traders.
—
Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Daskalakis described the situation as untenable.
—Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
And, given the closing distance between JUICE and Venus, mission operators determined the latter was an untenable strategy.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Highfill Mayor Chris Holland said that would put the city in an untenable position and would cripple the city financially.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Daskalakis described the situation as untenable.
—Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
And, given the closing distance between JUICE and Venus, mission operators determined the latter was an untenable strategy.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Highfill Mayor Chris Holland said that would put the city in an untenable position and would cripple the city financially.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
-
While this might not sound like a large number of soldiers for an entire continent, the number itself is misleading.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But that figure is misleading if interpreted as a direct price for data.—
Seth Joseph,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maura’s performance makes Maria Angeles so magnetic and eccentric — earthily practical on some matters, dizzily irrational on others, and sympathetically true to herself on all fronts — that all the film’s other players want for detail and texture by comparison.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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The roll call of people across the decades who have had access to nuclear weapons includes many who are considerably less rational than the irrational rest of us.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Justice Department in its June 2024 report on problems with policing in Phoenix found that police delayed medical assistance to people who appeared to be incapacitated as a result of the use of force by officers and used unreasonable force on people who had already been wounded by officers.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Investors had initially feared that ASDA’s undercuts would lead to market leaders Tesco and Sainsbury’s having to lower prices to an unreasonable point in order to maintain their market shares.—
John Choong,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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