unattainability
/ʌnəteɪnəˈbɪləti/
unattainability · noun — the fact of being unattainable, of not being able to be reached or acquired. It carries an Arena rating of 1095, earned across 105 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unattainability ranks #1,976 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words, #4,447 of 17,131 for Most Ponderous Words, #8,799 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #8,883 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
unattainability is pronounced /ʌnəteɪnəˈbɪləti/.
Why “unattainability” is a great word
UNATTAINABILITY — [Noun] The state or quality of being impossible to reach, achieve, or obtain. From the English prefix un- (expressing negation) + attainability, itself from attainable (from attain + -able) + the noun-forming suffix -ity, indicating a state or condition. Unlike "inaccessibility," which often describes a physical or temporary barrier, or "impossibility," a broad, absolute condition, unattainability is the specific, inherent flaw in the desired object itself—the quality that renders pursuit futile. It is the mountain peak that dissolves into mist as you climb, the perfect understanding that retreats from the tip of your tongue, and the lover's silhouette that no living person could match; it is the quiet recognition that some destinations exist solely to give direction to the journey.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From un- + attainability.
noun
- The fact of being unattainable, of not being able to be reached or acquired.e.g.“A rack of Balmain brings a mind-bending new unattainability to your wardrobe with tumescent shoulder pads (a motorcycle jacket, $8,915) and motocross-style jeans weighing in at an unforgivable $2,915.” — 2009 September 24, Cintra Wilson, “The Posh and the Perverse”, in The New York Times:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.