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Synonyms

unattainable

British  
/ ˌʌnəˈteɪnəbəl /

adjective

  1. not achievable or accomplishable

    an unattainable goal
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Jamie Dimon believes the American dream is becoming unattainable, and he is getting serious about trying to revive it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

But getting together “feels unaffordable and unattainable to a lot of folks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Gen Z feels prices are high and housing unattainable.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

Proponents of AI regulation often cite neutral AI as a goal, but true neutrality is often unattainable.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2026

They are his contact with the supplies that keep life going; they hold the beauty that his soul longs for; they hold the unattainable that he can only dream and wish for.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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.