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
Twin Rivers Unified School District teachers returned to their classrooms Monday, ending the union’s first-ever strike, a 12-day walkout motivated by what teachers described as untenable health care costs and unmanageable class sizes.
—
Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Disrupting airports by tethering the pay of airport security screeners to the tumult of Washington politics is untenable.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
The friend group quickly realized sleeping on the ground outside was untenable.
—Storey Wertheimer, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
For one, there’s a massive time commitment involved with being on The Bachelorette that feels untenable for anyone with children.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Disrupting airports by tethering the pay of airport security screeners to the tumult of Washington politics is untenable.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
The friend group quickly realized sleeping on the ground outside was untenable.
—Storey Wertheimer, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
For one, there’s a massive time commitment involved with being on The Bachelorette that feels untenable for anyone with children.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
-
Some criticism has also focused on the film's marketing, which has been described as misleading.—
Saba Hamedy,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
This is technically true and profoundly misleading.—
Vikas Patel,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The slide appears to have involved a thick slab of soft snow breaking loose at a weak layer in the snowpack, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Endowed not only with a privileged birthright but—unlike the actual princes over in England, who had weak chins and went bald young—the physical stature to match?—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s something both early American and midcentury modern in the design of these solid-oak vanities, which arrived just as everyone seems to have gotten over an irrational fear of brown furniture.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The answer turned out to be four more years of sacrifice, struggle, and hope that must have felt, at times, completely irrational.—
Sharon McMahon,
Glamour,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Chicago residents must not be subject to unreasonable searches and seizures.—
Tracy Baim,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
As in Williams’ case, attorneys argued that a sweep had violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights protecting them from unreasonable search and seizure, as well as their 14th Amendment right to due process.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
