unsustainable

U1N1S1U1S1T1A1I1N1A1B3L1E1

adjective

Not sustainable.

Less commonScrabble 15

Meanings

adjectiveunsustainable (comparative more unsustainable, superlative most unsustainable)

comparative more unsustainable · superlative most unsustainable

  1. Not sustainable.

    You don't have to be Einstein to work out that this level of government subsidy is unsustainable.

    2022 January 12, Sir Michael Holden, “Reform of the workforce or death by a thousand cuts?”, in RAIL, number 948, page 22
    1 more example

    RTDs cover a multitude of sips, including: “hard” or “spiked” teas, coffees, kombuchas and seltzers; […]. And although the sector was birthed in the ’30s by drinks like Campari Soda, and boomed in the ’90s with Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice, RTDs are now at a point of seemingly unsustainable saturation.

    2022 July 4, Ben Schott, “Is There Anything That Gen Z Won’t Drink?”, in The Washington Post
noununsustainable (plural unsustainables)

plural unsustainables

  1. Something that cannot be sustained.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishsustain
  9. Englishsustainable
  10. Englishunsustainable

From un- + sustainable.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan insostenible
  • insostenibleNot sustainable
Finnish kestämätön
  • kestämätönNot sustainable
French pas viable, non viable
  • pas viableNot sustainable
  • non viableNot sustainable
  • pas tenableNot sustainable
  • intenableNot sustainable
  • insoutenableNot sustainable
German unhaltbar
  • unhaltbarNot sustainable
Hungarian fenntarthatatlan
  • fenntarthatatlanNot sustainable
Italian insostenibile
  • insostenibileNot sustainable
Norwegian ikke bærekraftig
  • ikke bærekraftigNot sustainable
Polish niezrównoważony
  • niezrównoważonyNot sustainable
Portuguese insustentável
  • insustentávelNot sustainable
Spanish insostenible
  • insostenibleNot sustainable
Swedish ohållbar
  • ohållbarNot sustainable
Cite this entry
APA

unsustainable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsustainable

MLA

“unsustainable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsustainable. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unsustainable,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unsustainable.

Source: unsustainable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.