Meaning & use
unbudgeable
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Refusing to change an opinion, decision, or demand, however much others try to persuade you.
Grammar: Describes a person or a position, and comes before a noun or after a linking verb: an unbudgeable negotiator; she remained unbudgeable.
Patterns
- unbudgeable on something
- remain unbudgeable
- an unbudgeable position
My grandfather is unbudgeable on the subject of bedtime, even at ninety.
The union stayed unbudgeable for three weeks, and then suddenly agreed to everything.
She gave me an unbudgeable look that told me the conversation was over.
adjectivenot comparable
Impossible to move from a place or position, even with force.
Grammar: Used of heavy or firmly fixed things, and like other -able adjectives it usually follows a linking verb or comes before a noun.
Patterns
- seem unbudgeable
- an unbudgeable object
The old piano was unbudgeable, so we simply painted around it.
That rock is unbudgeable without a crane.
Common combinations
- remain unbudgeable
- Despite the new evidence, the committee remained unbudgeable.
- unbudgeable on the issue
- Both sides were unbudgeable on the issue of pay.
- an unbudgeable attitude
- His unbudgeable attitude made compromise impossible.
- completely unbudgeable
- By Friday she was completely unbudgeable.
- an unbudgeable refusal
- Their unbudgeable refusal to talk delayed the deal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stubborn
- Far more common and more negative; it suggests a fault in someone's character, while unbudgeable simply states that persuasion has failed.
- adamant
- Very close in meaning but usually follows the verb 'be' and takes 'that' or 'about': she was adamant that she would not go.
- immovable
- Fits physical objects better than people; for a person's opinion, unbudgeable sounds more natural.
- intransigent
- A formal, rather disapproving choice used mostly about politicians and negotiators.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unbudgeable or unbridgeable? unbudgeable or unbudgeted?
unbudgeable vs unbridgeable
Sounds similar but means 'impossible to make a connection across', as in an unbridgeable gap between two sides.
unbudgeable vs unbudgeted
A different word meaning 'not included in a budget', common in business writing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unbudgeable' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Unbudgeable' means refusing to change a decision, so refusing every extension fits. Option 2 contradicts the meaning, and options 3 and 4 give reasons that have nothing to do with refusing to move.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unbudgeable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.