unattainable
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something unattainable is out of reach — you can't attain it or achieve it. Unfortunately, a lot of things in life are unattainable. For most of us, making a billion dollars is unattainable. Marrying a famous movie star is probably also unattainable. Flying to the moon in a private space yacht is totally unattainable. If something is unattainable, then you just can't get it. In life, it's not always easy to see what's unattainable and what's attainable, which can cause a lot of frustration.
Vocabulary lists containing unattainable
Power Prefix: un-
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: un-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Young people, they feel let down… disappointed in policymakers for allowing this to happen. And they also feel just sad that the 'Australian Dream' of owning a house is unattainable for them."
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Set very ambitious goals that initially seem unattainable.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
The same platforms that make these foods feel ubiquitous can also make them feel unattainable — something to aspire to, replicate, or consume as part of a broader performance of being “in the know.”
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
Companies have to thread a fine needle to get moonshot awards right—setting targets that aren’t too easy, but also aren’t so hard that the awards are unattainable and lose all incentive value.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
But there are men for whom the unattainable has a special attraction.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
