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unmanageable

unmanageable

12 6.2
Hard to control or deal with
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈmænɪdʒəbl/
translation icon : incontrolable
  • The number of students in this class has become so unmanageable that we need to add more teachers.
  • unmanageable debt
  • become unmanageable
  • almost unmanageable

They may be having unmanageable night sweats, changes in body temperature.

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Examples

Synonyms

difficult
vsunmanageable
386 2.1

Hard to control or deal with, often not willing to help

is more extreme, implying inability or impossibility rather than mere difficulty
troublesome
vsunmanageable
49 3.9

Causing worry or annoyance and hard to deal with

is more about complete lack of control rather than mere annoyance or hassle
uncontrollable
vsunmanageable
47 4.9

Not able to be held back

is hard to control or deal with but may still be handled
insurmountable
vsunmanageable
33 8.5

Impossible to get past

is difficult or sometimes impossible to control, not only a blocking obstacle
intractable
vsunmanageable
22 8.7

Hard to manage, change, or control

is hard to handle or deal with but not always resistant to change
unwieldy
vsunmanageable
16 6.7

Hard to move because it is large, heavy, or oddly shaped

is about being hard to control in any way, not only physical handling
ungovernable
vsunmanageable
4 8.6

Very difficult to control, for example a crowd or class

is difficult to handle in everyday situations rather than only political contexts
insoluble
vsunmanageable
3 7.5

Too difficult to solve or deal with, like a problem

is about being hard to control or manage rather than only unsolvable
uncontainable
vsunmanageable
2 6.5

Too strong to control, it often makes people laugh loudly or feel great joy

is difficult to control or manage but may still be kept within limits
beyond control
vsunmanageable
1 5.7

Too strong to be stopped or managed

is the same idea but in a shorter single word form
uncorrectable
vsunmanageable
1 7.9

Not able to be fixed or controlled

is difficult to control or handle but may allow improvement or correction
unsurmountable
vsunmanageable
1 8.1

Impossible to overcome or get past, like a problem you cannot solve

is the same sense but appears in an alternative form or spelling
noncontrollable
vsunmanageable
7.5

No one can change or affect something like the weather

is difficult or impossible to deal with in general situations or tasks
unsubduable
vsunmanageable
9.9

Not able to be defeated or controlled

is hard to manage but may sometimes be controlled without force
unmaneuverable
vsunmanageable
  • US
8.4

Hard to control or change

is hard to handle or deal with but not only about changing direction
uncheckable
vsunmanageable
8.5

Impossible to control or stop

is hard to control or manage but can sometimes be limited by tools
overburdensome
vsunmanageable
  • Specialized
7.8

Too difficult or expensive for someone to manage easily

is about being impossible or very hard to control, not only heavy burden
unmasterable
vsunmanageable
9.5

Impossible to learn completely, control, or become skilled at

is hard or impossible to manage broadly, not focused only on learning

Antonyms

57 3.2

Easy to deal with

How Manageable

easy
1.0
manageable
57 3.2
difficult
386 2.1
unmanageable
12 6.2
chaotic
116 4.7
to spiral out of control
  • Informal
17 6.1

Surface Forms

unmanageable positive

Morphology

unmanageable = manageable (transparent) = un + manage + able

Formed by prefixing 'un-' to 'manageable' (manage + -able); the meaning 'not manageable' is a straightforward negation.

Etymology

Unmanageable is made of un- meaning 'not' and manage, which comes from an old word for 'hand' and is the same idea as in manual. So something unmanageable is 'not able to be handled', which is why it is hard or impossible to control.