1
Impossible goal
Unable to be achieved under the conditions.
Example
Perfect certainty remains unattainable when records are incomplete.
unattainable
/ˌʌnəˈteɪnəbəl/ · un-uh-TAY-nuh-buhladjective
Impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
Use unattainable when the context supports this precise sense: impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
What unattainable Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Unreachable place
Impossible to reach physically.
Example
Winter floods made the settlement temporarily unattainable.
3
Unavailable standard
Beyond a person or system’s practical reach.
Example
The policy set an unattainable standard for small clinics.
Use unattainable Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Perfect certainty remains unattainable when records are incomplete.
Winter floods made the settlement temporarily unattainable.
The policy set an unattainable standard for small clinics.
Precision Matters
Unattainable overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
unattainable
vs.Means impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
insurmountable
Means too great or difficult to overcome.
unattainable
vs.Means impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
elusive
Means difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
unattainable
vs.Means impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
impenetrable
Means impossible to pass through, enter, or understand.
unattainable
vs.Means impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
ineluctable
Means inescapable; inevitable.
Test unattainable in Context
No available method can achieve complete certainty.
1
Because the archive had been destroyed and no copies existed, absolute certainty about the date was ___.