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unattainable
/ ˌʌnəˈteɪnəbəl /
adjective
- not achievable or accomplishable
an unattainable goal
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Example Sentences
Instead, choose a set of metrics that you can calculate, and that won’t be unattainable, like the open rate below used by Contact Monkey.
Quince posits that high-quality staples shouldn’t be unattainable luxuries.
What sets his approach apart, colleagues say, is the pursuit of reproducible experimentation and statistical analysis that ecologists might traditionally have regarded as potentially unnatural and misleading, if not outright unattainable.
Chronic skin conditions aren’t curable so chasing the unattainable goal of “perfect” skin set by the beauty industry did not fit with the new era of beauty that Topicals is pioneering.
Internet services were very expensive and the internet was considered by many people in India to be an unattainable thing.
Modern superheroes are too often modeled after the unattainable ideal.
Barbie has always been most reviled for her unattainable beauty and oozing sexuality.
For Madison Holleran, Kathy Ormsby, and Mary Wazeter, it was an easy commute from ambition to unattainable expectation.
Now Kerry has offered the Palestinians an unattainable electric car of peace.
In addition, her job gave her access to a glamorous social scene that was previously unattainable.
I know I strive after the unattainable, but still every year I get nearer and nearer to the goal.
Yet it is unattainable virtue, while their God is not a moral governor, but subject to necessity.
And with every day of such drudgery the heights of music and literature seemed further away and more unattainable.
She had no side-saddle, and it was very apparent that a firm seat upon the smooth leather beneath her was unattainable sideways.
Ay, surely unattainable, from the very fact that they are two instead of one.
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More About Unattainable
What does unattainable mean?
Unattainable means not able to be accomplished or achieved.
It’s especially used to describe things like goals or statuses that are thought to be impossible to achieve in general or with one’s abilities or resources.
The verb attain means to achieve, accomplish, obtain, or gain. It can also mean to reach or arrive at, as in He has attained the age of 100. Unattainable can be used in this sense as well.
Unattainable is the opposite is attainable, which means able to be accomplished or achieved.
Example: Due to the recession, the goal of retiring early now seems unattainable.
Where does unattainable come from?
The first records of the word unattainable come from the 1600s, not long after the first records of attainable. The root word attain is first recorded in the 1300s and comes from the Latin verb attingere, meaning “to reach,” from tangere, “to touch.” The prefix un- means “not” and the suffix -able means “capable of.”
Things that are unattainable are out of reach. A goal may be unattainable because it’s completely impossible, or it may be unattainable because it can’t be accomplished with one’s current means. Unattainable is most often used to describe goals, aims, or certain ways that people want to be. For example, describing beauty standards as unattainable refers to the fact that the average person won’t be able to look like a model.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to unattainable?
- unattainably (adverb)
What are some synonyms for unattainable?
What are some words that share a root or word element with unattainable?
What are some words that often get used in discussing unattainable?
How is unattainable used in real life?
The word unattainable can be used in many different contexts, but it’s most commonly applied to goals or dreams considered impossible.
Today my lifelong goal of being on a Forbes 40 under 40 list became forever unattainable. QQ
— Dan Olson (@olson_dan) September 8, 2020
Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is.
— PrayerMachine (@SingingNabiy) August 29, 2020
holding myself to an unattainable standard so that i’m upset with myself regardless of what grade i make is my toxic trait 🥴🥴🥴
— cristina yang wannabe m2 (@iiambrianb) August 31, 2020
Try using unattainable!
Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of unattainable?
A. unachievable
B. unreachable
C. doable
D. unobtainable
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