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
Without predictable energy inputs—secured through green tariffs, direct PPAs or national frameworks—otherwise viable builds become untenable.
—
Piyush Jain, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Still, Higashioka’s return to Petco Park last weekend highlighted an undeniable reality: Even by the meager offensive standards of this era, the Padres’ catching situation is untenable.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 11 July 2025
But in the internet era, this laborious process threatens to become untenable.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
Indeed, the replacement of modernism by postmodernism was already a response to the fact that the one monolithic truth was becoming untenable for very disparate reasons (involving Eurocentrism and colonial thinking).
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Piyush Jain, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Still, Higashioka’s return to Petco Park last weekend highlighted an undeniable reality: Even by the meager offensive standards of this era, the Padres’ catching situation is untenable.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 11 July 2025
But in the internet era, this laborious process threatens to become untenable.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
Indeed, the replacement of modernism by postmodernism was already a response to the fact that the one monolithic truth was becoming untenable for very disparate reasons (involving Eurocentrism and colonial thinking).
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
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This downward movement was attributed to both weak job figures and a new round of U.S. tariffs announced by Trump.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
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Last month and August 2024 also saw a weak start, so this comes as no surprise.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And even some buyers who pride themselves on discipline and efficiency turn somewhat irrational.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
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The firm’s Hype Cycle normalizes — even glamorizes — the irrational, costly overpromising and overselling that hype entails.—
Eric Siegel,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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His exact demands are unknown but given his status as one of the world’s leading players a range of £250,000 to £300,000 a week is far from unreasonable.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
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Barbara Attard, a police accountability expert, said meet and confer can last months, but beyond a year is unreasonable.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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