Meaning & use

unsustainable

adjective·Academic

Unable to be maintained or continued at the current rate without causing harm or running out.

See it in a sentence

Cutting down the forest at this rate is environmentally unsustainable.

The company's debt levels became unsustainable within just two years.

A note on using this word

Unsustainable is common in discussions of environmental resources and finances, describing a practice that will eventually collapse or fail.

Words with a similar meaning

untenableunviable

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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