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
When Michelle’s father’s house burned down, and an extended stay with her grandmother became untenable, the family collectively decided that the best option was to place her, Jessie, and their older brother Rickey in a Florida Baptist Children’s Home.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Residents feeling the brunt of the crackdown say immigration agents are making life untenable.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Conversely, a big environmental disaster or loss of life could make the route politically untenable.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
By the 1990s, this agreement became untenable, as some Japanese players in NPB became frustrated by their lack of negotiating power.
—Jared Bahir Browsh, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Residents feeling the brunt of the crackdown say immigration agents are making life untenable.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Conversely, a big environmental disaster or loss of life could make the route politically untenable.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
By the 1990s, this agreement became untenable, as some Japanese players in NPB became frustrated by their lack of negotiating power.
—Jared Bahir Browsh, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
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Their arrest followed The Osefos allegedly making false and misleading claims after an April 2024 burglary at their family home that led to the insurance fraud criminal charges.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
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Judge calls for use of body cameras Credibility questions have long trailed law enforcement agencies, whether federal or local, and police statements immediately after an arrest have occasionally proved to be incorrect or misleading.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The study, published on the research platform arXiv, found that once the models were allowed to vary their bets and set their own targets, irrational behavior surged — and bankruptcy became a common outcome.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Poetry brings hope, not an irrational optimism or wishful thinking, but a positive orientation to the future, of what a better, healthier future would look like.—
K.J.S. “Sunny” Anand,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That seems unreasonable given how weak this group has been.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
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This decision places an unreasonable financial burden on agencies and managers who are already navigating a fragile market.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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