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
For now, the SGG is allowed to rise only until her level of ambition or desire becomes societally untenable—then her audience demands punishment.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
If the situation becomes untenable, though, service could be suspended.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
This deficit creates an untenable situation where overwhelmed staff must triage high volumes of patients without sufficient administrative support or modern clinical guidance.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
However, Amazon’s third-party sellers have worked hard to shield them from the brunt of the tariff impact, and that may be untenable in the long term.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
If the situation becomes untenable, though, service could be suspended.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
This deficit creates an untenable situation where overwhelmed staff must triage high volumes of patients without sufficient administrative support or modern clinical guidance.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
However, Amazon’s third-party sellers have worked hard to shield them from the brunt of the tariff impact, and that may be untenable in the long term.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
-
Behind the scenes, Newsom’s staff have taken a similar approach and tone, calling for the tabloid to change language in stories that the team feels is inaccurate or misleading.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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An administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidence would find these contentions to be misleading.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Trump has directed his ire toward the Department of Labor agency ever since former Commissioner Erika McEntarfer authorized the release of a weak jobs report last summer.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Procedures harden, decision paths lengthen, and people wait for permission rather than acting on weak signals from the environment.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tempering the not-so-irrational fears out there about AI replacing human workers, Jensen offered a more optimistic view.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
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In that space, intuition, which was once dismissed as irrational or unreliable, has started to re-enter the conversation.—
William Jones
January 21,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Asked if the White House opposes splitting up the bills, a second White House official dismissed Democratic demands for DHS changes as unreasonable rather than addressing that question.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, protections against unreasonable searches and seizures must be honored; law enforcement should not bypass judicial oversight when entering private homes or conducting operations.—
Eric Balliet,
Denver Post,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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