unattainable en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌɐnəˈtæɪnəbəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˌʌnəˈteɪnəbəl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English attain Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unattainable From un- + attain + -able.
Meanings
-
Impossible to attain or reach; unable to accomplish
Efficiency for the sake of efficiency, unchallenged authority conferred upon those who know well a few things and ignore everything else, disdain for the ordinary and humble elements that introduce happiness in our lives, worship of unattainable utopiae, are some of the features of the scheme which leads inevitably to the suppression of the eternal gifts bestowed by God upon every human person and to the frightful prospect of being ruled by what he vividly names “the Empire of the Insect.”
1974, The Chesterton Review, page 262:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most unattainable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more unattainable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
unattainably · unattainableness
Synonyms
unapproachable · inaccessible · unobtainable
Translations (30)
cmn 高不可攀的 (impossible to attain) · nb uoppnåelig (impossible to attain) · de unerreichbar (impossible to attain) · pt inalcançável (impossible to attain) · pl niedosiężny (impossible to attain) · cmn 不可企及的 (impossible to attain) · da uopnåelig (impossible to attain) · pl nieosiągalny (impossible to attain) · gv gyn roshtyn (impossible to attain) · pl niedostępny (impossible to attain) · gv neuroshtynagh (impossible to attain) · pl niedościgły (impossible to attain) · fr inatteignable (impossible to attain) · sv ouppnåelig (impossible to attain) · fi saavuttamaton (impossible to attain) · nn uoppnåeleg (impossible to attain) · bg недостижим (impossible to attain) · nl onbereikbaar (impossible to attain) · cs nedosažitelný (impossible to attain) · la inaccessus (impossible to attain) · el ανέφικτος (impossible to attain) · de nicht machbar (impossible to attain) · it inattingibile (impossible to attain) · es inconseguible (impossible to attain) · cs nedostupný (impossible to attain) · pl niedosięgły (impossible to attain) · ru недоступный (impossible to attain) · pt inatingível (impossible to attain) · es inalcanzable (impossible to attain) · ru недостижи́мый (impossible to attain)