ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›U›untenable
ISEE/SSAThard
untenable
impossible to defend, support, or maintain
Synonyms
- indefensible
- unsustainable
- unjustifiable
Antonyms
- defensible
- sustainable
- tenable
untenable in a sentence
The witness's new account became untenable once the video emerged.
After researchers exposed its faulty assumptions, the theory was untenable.
Where it comes from
From un- and tenable, rooted in Latin tenere, meaning 'to hold.'
Memory hook
UN-TENABLE means 'not able to hold': an untenable claim cannot hold up.
Read it in context
- The Juniper Recovery Nature