unsustainable

[ uhn-suh-stey-nuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not sustainable; not to be supported, maintained, upheld, or corroborated.

Other Words From

• unsus·taina·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsustainable¹

1670–80; un- ¹ + sustainable ( def )

Example Sentences

He maintains that his work always arose from a genuine concern that more people will place an unsustainable burden on the planet.

From Salon

The authority said, alongside the cost concerns, it believed falling birth rates across Suffolk and nationally meant there could be too few students attending in the future, potentially making a new school "financially unsustainable."

From BBC

When Natasha's 12-week-old son was born, he needed extended stays in hospital, which, she says, made breastfeeding unsustainable.

From BBC

“This level of exhaustion and lack of support is unsustainable,” he said in late October.

From Salon

Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016, I told the editor of a prominent policy journal that his and her Clintonite regime is “illegitimate and unsustainable.”

From Salon

Related Words

• unsuitable
• untenable