Meaning & use
unattainable
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Impossible to reach or achieve, however hard you try.
Grammar: Usually describes goals, standards, or dreams; used before a noun or after be.
Patterns
- be unattainable
- an unattainable goal
- an unattainable standard
- seem unattainable
Perfect health is an unattainable goal for most people.
For years, a place at that university seemed unattainable to her.
The company set unattainable sales targets and the staff gave up trying.
adjectivenot comparable
Impossible to obtain or buy, especially because of price or rarity.
Grammar: Common with things people want but cannot get: an unattainable luxury, an unattainable price.
Patterns
- be unattainable
- an unattainable luxury
- remain unattainable
- become unattainable
For young families, houses in that area have become unattainable.
The painting is unattainable for private buyers; it belongs to a museum.
Fresh fruit was once an unattainable luxury in winter.
Common combinations
- unattainable goal
- Working toward an unattainable goal can be exhausting.
- unattainable standard
- The magazine shows unattainable standards of beauty.
- seem unattainable
- A perfect score seemed unattainable to the whole class.
- remain unattainable
- Cheap housing remains unattainable for many young workers.
- prove unattainable
- The target proved unattainable within one year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- impossible
- Impossible is broader and can describe any task; unattainable is used mostly for goals, standards, and things people long for.
- unreachable
- Unreachable often means physically out of reach, while unattainable usually means impossible to achieve or obtain.
- out of reach
- This phrase is more informal and often about money or distance; unattainable sounds more formal and absolute.
Opposites
Word family
- attain verb
- To succeed in reaching or getting something.
- attainable adjective
- Possible to reach or achieve.
- attainment noun
- The act of achieving something, or something achieved.
- unattainably adverb
- In a way that cannot be reached or achieved.
Commonly confused: unattainable or unobtainable? unattainable or unattended?
unattainable vs unobtainable
Unobtainable means you cannot get or buy something, often a single item; unattainable is used more widely for goals and standards.
unattainable vs unattended
Unattended means left alone without anyone watching; it has nothing to do with achieving goals.
Practice
Which sentence uses unattainable correctly?
Choose one answer.
Unattainable means impossible to achieve, so B fits. A would need 'unreachable' for a physical object, C uses an adjective where an adverb is needed, and D confuses the word with 'unambiguous'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unattainable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.