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
The result is a system that makes traditional notions of childhood – with its unwieldy dependencies, its inefficient play and its demands for attention and care – increasingly untenable.
—
Anna Mae Duane, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Anna Mae Duane, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for untenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untenable
Adjective
-
Carbonaceous chondrites tend to be weaker and more crumbly than other meteorites, so these objects just don’t stand as much of a chance.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Then, McIlroy hit a weak drive to the right and was blocked by pines.—
Time,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Added to the chaos is the underlying rudimentary calculation of tariff levels that have produced wildly uneven and irrational effects on trading partners with no readily discernible policy value.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The characters are believably upset and irrational for much of the play.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The words were harsh but the logic was not unreasonable.—
George Caulkin,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
-
This would not be an unreasonable proposition, considering the U.S. already pledged a security guarantee to Ukraine upon its return of all nuclear warheads to Russia by 1996, based on the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.—
Seung-Whan Choi,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untenable. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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