Word of the Day

: July 27, 2007

untenable

adjective un-TEN-uh-bul

What It Means

1 : not able to be defended

2 : not able to be occupied

untenable in Context

The contractor made the untenable demand that all work be paid for up front, at which point we decided to take our business elsewhere.

Did You Know?

"Untenable" and its opposite "tenable" come to us from Old French "tenir" and ultimately from Latin "tenēre," both of which mean "to hold." We tend to use "untenable" in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding on to it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold on to the meaning of "untenable" is to associate it with other "tenēre" descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding on to." "Tenacious" ("holding fast") is one example. Others are "contain," "detain," "sustain," "maintain," and "retain."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.