1
as in inaccessible
hard or impossible to get to or get at
an eagle's nest in an unattainable location
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impossible
incapable of being solved or accomplished
unfortunately, world peace is probably an unattainable ideal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 unattainable
Herd immunity is about more than just eliminating transmission by reaching an often unattainable threshold of population-level protection.
—
Virginia E. Pitzer, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
In the case of a sacrosanct, seemingly unattainable number like Kobe’s 81, chasing a stat doesn’t feel so different from chasing a ring.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
But that goal will be difficult—verging on unattainable—and would likely require a lengthy military commitment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
While the world continues to push unattainable beauty standards into every aspect of our lives, women of all ages are quietly protesting the status quo by starting a revolution that embraces aging and natural beauty rather than rejecting them.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Virginia E. Pitzer, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2026
In the case of a sacrosanct, seemingly unattainable number like Kobe’s 81, chasing a stat doesn’t feel so different from chasing a ring.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
But that goal will be difficult—verging on unattainable—and would likely require a lengthy military commitment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
While the world continues to push unattainable beauty standards into every aspect of our lives, women of all ages are quietly protesting the status quo by starting a revolution that embraces aging and natural beauty rather than rejecting them.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unattainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unattainable
Adjective
-
The top floor and basement of the building, once used to house workers and the resident operator, will be inaccessible, Dennison said.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
If the knowledge that defines an organization’s experience is inaccessible or lost entirely, those systems will produce incomplete, generic intelligence.—
Jason Dressel,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Many of Florida’s buildings face aging materials, punishing weather, and deferred maintenance that quietly compound until conditions become impossible to ignore and threaten residents’ safety.—
Keegan A. Berry,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The trustworthiness of nearly every website, inbox, and bank account rests on the assumption that these two problems are impossible to solve.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wilson then got a voicemail about the item being unavailable, and that Dan had already left the store.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The approach targets environments where satellite signals are weak or unavailable, such as tunnels, dense cities, forests, or conflict zones.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There were definitely points on my journey where things seemed dark and sort of hopeless.—
Zulekha Nathoo,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This one’s for the horny, hopeless goth inside all of us.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
At UConn, Stewart built one of the most untouchable résumés the sport has ever seen.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Is that accurate, and is anyone else untouchable?—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Prices are inflated in January and, as Everton found, many top targets are often unobtainable.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In his case, the beloved was the unobtainable Beatrice Portinari, a wealthy banker’s daughter whom Dante claimed to have loved from their first meeting, when both were children—a bit of charming self-mythology—and steadily on until her untimely death, at twenty-four.—
Claudia Roth Pierpont,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unattainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unattainable. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
