as in unavailable
hard or impossible to get to or get at
that information is unobtainable as long as my computer is down
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Recent Examples of unobtainable
Unlike deterrence by punishment, which threatens consequences like economic sanctions, a strategy of denial seeks to convince an aggressor that its objectives are unobtainable, by making the likelihood of a catastrophic military defeat more credible.
—
John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
But during photography’s earlier periods, when cameras looked like boxes and accordions, the process of making pictures was much more involved than a single touch to a screen—and often relatively unobtainable for average people.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
Since then, Mbeumo has seemingly become unobtainable.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 June 2025
And, of course, celebrity is this lifestyle that by definition is unobtainable.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unobtainable
John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
But during photography’s earlier periods, when cameras looked like boxes and accordions, the process of making pictures was much more involved than a single touch to a screen—and often relatively unobtainable for average people.
—Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
Since then, Mbeumo has seemingly become unobtainable.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 June 2025
And, of course, celebrity is this lifestyle that by definition is unobtainable.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unobtainable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unobtainable
Adjective
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In 2023, more than 7 in 10 adults in the US who were prescribed stimulant ADHD medications had problems filling their prescriptions because the medications were unavailable, according to 2024 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Dr. Jill Grimes,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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Rice was unavailable for Friday’s game, serving the first game of his six-game league suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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On the northeast of the fire, by Sugar Pine Mountain, crews worked in steep, inaccessible terrain to bring containment lines into the natural rock bluff, trying to cut the fire off south of the Wishon Reservoir for the protection of the critical hydroelectric infrastructure.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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These schools reinforced both racial and class divides by creating exclusive education spaces inaccessible to many Black and low-income students.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unobtainable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unobtainable. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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