unobtainable

Examples

• All

• Nonetheless, there are some institutions and persons that have been able to accomplish what has often seemed unobtainable.

  Academic text (2012)

• However, the study in which these data were reported was unobtainable and thus could not be verified.

  Academic text (2002)

• His work was unobtainable at the time.

  Doctor Zhivago (1965)

• The lights are on and sufficient food is available, but gas is mostly unobtainable for the average person.

  Blog text (32)

• He'll always pursue that which is unobtainable.

  Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)

• The American Dream is often unobtainable, and for many, it has mutated into a nightmare.

  Blog text (17)

• He isn't poor because he lacks money... but because everything he wants is unobtainable.

  London (1994)

• Shark fins were much in demand and are now nearly unobtainable since the wild populations have been hunted almost to extinction.

  Fiction book (1997)

• In 1984, the preservationists' goal of maintaining Bukit China as open space seemed unobtainable, but their argument now needs little amplification to rally considerable support.

  Academic text (1993)

• The luxury watch he desired was totally unobtainable due to its limited release.

Synonyms

U

unavailable

vsunobtainable

81 3.4

Not able to be used, reached, or bought

is about complete impossibility rather than temporary or situational lack

I

inaccessible

vsunobtainable

28 7.9

Not able to be reached, used, or understood

is limited to being impossible to get rather than access or comprehension

U

unattainable

vsunobtainable

18 6.3

Not possible to get or reach

is wider, covering not being gotten rather than only goal failure

U

unreachable

vsunobtainable

15 4.9

Too difficult to get to because of where or how it is

is about being impossible to get in general, not just due to location

U

unachievable

vsunobtainable

3 6.3

Not possible to do or reach

is the plain inability to get something rather than action-focused impossibility

U

untouchable

vsunobtainable

3 7.7

Too difficult for people to reach or get

is the general impossibility to get rather than social or protective distance

U

unrecoverable

vsunobtainable

2 7.3

Something that cannot be fixed or brought back

is the wider sense of being impossible to get, not just restoration

I

infeasible

vsunobtainable

2 7.2

Not possible to do or make happen

is about not being able to get something rather than implementation impracticality

U

unapproachable

vsunobtainable

1 7.1

Hard to reach because it is far away or blocked

is a broader impossibility to get, not only physical approach issues

U

unfindable

vsunobtainable

1 7.1

Very hard to find

is about being impossible to obtain overall rather than only hard to find

U

ungettable

vsunobtainable

1 8.4

Impossible to buy and very hard to find

is the broad statement of impossibility rather than stressing difficulty

U

unprocurable

vsunobtainable

9.9

Not possible to find or buy

is the general idea of being impossible to get rather than purchase-specific

I

introuvable

vsunobtainable

9.9

Very hard to find or get

is the simple impossibility to get, not rarity or collectibility

U

undiscoverable

vsunobtainable

8.9

Not possible to find or learn where something is

is the general inability to get rather than the discovery process

U

unretrievable

vsunobtainable

7.9

Impossible to get back

is broader, covering initial getting impossibility not only recovery issues

U

uncomeatable

vsunobtainable

• Archaic

9.9

Hard to reach or get

is the modern, neutral statement of impossibility rather than old usage

U

un-get-at-able

vsunobtainable

• Informal

9.9

Hard to reach or achieve

is the straightforward concept of not being able to get rather than emphatic phrasing

Antonyms

O

obtainable

6 3.7

Possible to get or buy

How Obtainable

available

∞ 2.3

obtainable

6 3.7

scarce

103 4.8

unavailable

81 3.4

unobtainable

7 6.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology