untenable

adjective

un·​ten·​a·​ble ˌən-ˈte-nə-bəl How to pronounce untenable (audio)
1
: not able to be defended
an untenable position
2
: not able to be occupied
untenable apartments
untenability noun

Did you know?

Untenable and its opposite tenable come to us from the Old French verb tenir ("to hold, have possession of"), and ultimately from the Latin verb tenēre ("to hold, occupy, possess"). We tend to use untenable in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding onto it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold onto the meaning of untenable is to associate it with other tenēre descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding onto." Tenacious ("holding fast") is one example. Others are contain, detain, sustain, maintain, and retain. Spanish speakers may also recognize tenēre as a predecessor of the commonplace verb tener, which retains the meaning of "to hold or possess."

Examples of untenable in a Sentence

The Agriculture Department is in an untenable position. With the two hats that it wears—one to protect consumer health and the other to help farmers sell food—it cannot tell us to eat fewer calories. After all, fewer calories generally mean less food, which would fly in the face of the department's mandate to help farmers. Marian Burros, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2002
But scholars are citizens, too, and if it is wrongheaded to demand political payoff from basic research, it would be equally untenable to demand that research be quarantined from the real-world considerations that weigh so heavily upon us. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times, 4 Apr. 1998
All the theories of the Moon's origin proposed before the Apollo Moon landings of 1969 … became untenable when the rocks returned from the Moon proved to be as old as the Earth and significantly dissimilar. Physics Today, January 1997
The problem was then resolved—not by finding that the conduct in question was justified, because that would have offended the judge's sense of order, and not by rejecting the applicability of the defense, which would have led to a reportable opinion and an appeal—but through a dismissal of the charges on the wholly untenable ground that the prosecution had not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Edward N. Costikyan, New York Times Book Review, 13 Mar. 1988
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Classical methods of solving these problems, which often involve churning through possible solutions in clever ways, quickly become untenable. Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 17 Mar. 2025 Shrugging off debates over the idea of trans ancestors, Peters explores the untenable, crunchy feelings that arise in a society organized by masculinity. Grace Byron, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025 Richardson finished the season with a league-low and Colts franchise-low 47.7 completion percentage, which is simply untenable for an NFL offense to be efficient. James Boyd, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 In the emails, Enforcement Director Eric Halperin and Supervision Director Lorelei Salas told their offices that their positions had become untenable. Douglas Gillison, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for untenable

Word History

Etymology

un- entry 1 + tenable

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of untenable was in 1647

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Cite this Entry

“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untenable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

untenable

adjective
un·​ten·​a·​ble ˌən-ˈten-ə-bəl How to pronounce untenable (audio)
1
: not able to be defended
an untenable position
2
: not able to be occupied
untenable apartments

More from Merriam-Webster on untenable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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