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unattainably

unattainably

1 7.5
In a way that is impossible to reach or achieve
  • adverb
  • /ˌʌnəˈteɪnəblɪ/
translation icon : inaccesiblemente
  • Your parents either force you to be ridiculously unattainably good with all odds stacked against you, or we screw the concept, disobey our parents, and do whatever we want because perfection is impossible.

Examples

  • Thus, societal pressures for men are not to be unattainably thin but, rather, to be unattainably muscular.

    Academic text (2006)
  • It took me so long to pursue composition professionally because it seemed so unattainably difficult.

    Blog text (33)
  • Thus, societal pressures for men are not to be unattainably thin but, rather, to be unattainably muscular.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Phillipe manages to pull off Barbie's unattainably lanky, glamorous look while still looking proud and awesome, not blank and deformed, as

    Blog text (12)
  • She dreamed of an unattainably beautiful life that seemed beyond her reach.

  • Many people strive for unattainably high standards, leaving them feeling inadequate.

  • The athlete's record was set at an unattainably fast pace, making it hard for others to compete.

Synonyms

impossibly
vsunattainably
31 5.7

To a very great degree that seems like it cannot be true

uses the same absolute sense of impossibility for achieving or reaching
insurmountably
vsunattainably
1 8.8

In a way that cannot be overcome

expresses failure to achieve results rather than focusing on obstacles
unachievably
vsunattainably
8.4

In a way that cannot be reached

expresses the same impossible quality without adding new meaning
unreachably
vsunattainably
8.3

So far away that you cannot reach it

focuses on the general impossibility of achieving or reaching it
unfeasibly
vsunattainably
6.9

In a way that is not possible or very hard to do

stresses absolute impossibility rather than extreme difficulty
impracticably
vsunattainably
  • Formal
7.4

In a way that is too difficult or impossible to do

refers more to absolute failure to achieve or reach a goal
insuperably
vsunattainably
  • Formal
9.9

In a way that cannot be overcome

points to general impossibility of achieving or reaching an outcome
inaccessibly
vsunattainably
8.1

So hard to reach that few people can get to it

emphasizes overall impossibility of achieving or reaching something

How Attainable

easily
1.0
readily
163 2.3
hard
1.1
arduously
1 7.8
unattainably
1 7.5

Surface Forms

unattainably positive

Morphology

unattainably = unattainable (transparent) = un + attain + able + ly

Formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'unattainable', a transparent and regular derivation.

Etymology

Unattainably comes from attain, which meant 'to reach or hold' and is the same root you see in words like contain and retain. With un- meaning 'not' and -ly meaning 'in a ... way', unattainably therefore means 'in a way that cannot be reached', so it describes something impossible to achieve.