as in misleading
formal
not capable of being defended against attack or criticism; not tenable
an untenable argument The theory is untenable.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 untenable
But now the collapse of values at the top has become untenable.
—
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
In the wildly surreal satire, Liu plays a Chinese factory worker named Jianhu, who teleports into the Bay Area and starts robbing clothing stores as a middle finger to fashion mogul Christie Smith (Demi Moore), who has made working conditions untenable in China.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 June 2026
That, in turn, could either delay Artemis 3 or create an untenable timeline for Blue Moon to gain its certification to carry astronauts in time for the first Artemis mission lunar landing on Artemis 4.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Least weekend’s pointed statement from Mohamed Salah, which was liked by a number of his team-mates, was a sign that his position was becoming untenable.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
In the wildly surreal satire, Liu plays a Chinese factory worker named Jianhu, who teleports into the Bay Area and starts robbing clothing stores as a middle finger to fashion mogul Christie Smith (Demi Moore), who has made working conditions untenable in China.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 June 2026
That, in turn, could either delay Artemis 3 or create an untenable timeline for Blue Moon to gain its certification to carry astronauts in time for the first Artemis mission lunar landing on Artemis 4.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 1 June 2026
Least weekend’s pointed statement from Mohamed Salah, which was liked by a number of his team-mates, was a sign that his position was becoming untenable.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
-
Manny Salazar, the Police Department’s public information officer and former drone team member, said the 46-drone figure is misleading.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
-
He was also booked on suspicion of making false or misleading statements to a public servant, per the records.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Because oceanfront homes satisfy both sides of the luxury equation—the rational and the irrational.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
The American origin story is rooted in the notion that George III was its vanquished villain, an irrational tyrant who oppressed the American colonists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
However, investing in public institutions and infrastructure is a costly endeavor that can seem unreasonable when local officials are struggling to balance budgets without increasing tax burdens.—
Aneri Pattani,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
-
Nineteen recent clinical trials on kratom leaf document no evidence of severe addiction or significant or unreasonable adverse effects.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
