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
-
Witness the rally in the railroads last week that crushed shorts banking on weaker transport earnings.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
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This weak cash generation capability raises questions about the company’s ability to fund growth investments and return capital to shareholders.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
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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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
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The same could be true of the recent cost estimates, but construction technology has advanced in the past half century, so that lower costs per mile are not unreasonable.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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