untreatable

adjective

un·​treat·​able ˌən-ˈtrē-tə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio)
: not yielding or responsive to medical treatment : not treatable
an untreatable disease
These infections cause an untreatable degeneration of the nervous system …Jared Diamond
The location of the cancer rendered him untreatable by further surgery.Nancy J. Kubel
untreatably adverb

Examples of untreatable in a Sentence

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.
After examining Bryant, the doctor declares that his cancer has spread to his liver and is untreatable. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025 The collaboration of these technologies could lead to a new era of genetic therapies that empower patients and provide sustainable solutions for previously untreatable conditions. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025 The root cause of Linda’s whirling-dervish anxiety spiral is the mysterious, seemingly untreatable illness of her young unnamed daughter (Delaney Quinn), heard but unseen almost throughout, aside from the bag attached to her intravenous feeding tube. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Psyched to crack down on Big Pharma’s abuses without having to consider how cutting off supposedly spendthrift infectious disease researchers could lead to your loved one dying of an untreatable illness? Keren Landman, Vox, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for untreatable 

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of untreatable was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near untreatable

Cite this Entry

“Untreatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/untreatable. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

Medical Definition

untreatable

adjective
un·​treat·​able -ˈtrēt-ə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio)
: not susceptible to medical treatment
untreatable patients
an untreatable disease
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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