unsupportable

IPA/ˌʌn.səˈpɔː.tə.bəl/
KK[ˌʌnsəpˈɔrtəbəl]IPA/ˌʌn.səˈpɔːr.tə.bəl/

unsupportable — adjective

  • unsupportablepositive
  • more unsupportablecomparative
  • most unsupportablesuperlative

1. used to describe an argument, claim, or idea that cannot be shown to be true usi

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

used to describe an argument, claim, or idea that cannot be shown to be true using facts, evidence, or logical reasoning.

Example

Hiro showed that the company's financial projections were unsupportable when he compared them with actual sales data.

unsupportable used after 'were' (predictive) with a that-clause of evidence

The judge ruled the witness's account unsupportable because no physical evidence matched her description of events.

find + object + unsupportable (ruled … unsupportable)

Common collocations
  • unsupportable argument
  • unsupportable claim
  • unsupportable theory
  • unsupportable accusation
  • find something unsupportable
  • dismiss something as unsupportable
Synonyms
  • indefensible

    stronger — suggests moral or logical failure, not just lack of proof

  • untenable

    more common in formal writing about positions or theories that cannot be maintained

  • groundless

    focuses on absence of any basis; less formal and less common in academic contexts

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

find + object + unsupportable

be/seem + unsupportable

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs that express judgement, such as 'find', 'rule', 'deem', or 'dismiss'. The subject is typically a person or institution evaluating evidence.

Common Mistakes

The broken chair is unsupportable.
The broken chair cannot support any weight.
'unsupportable' is not used for physical objects that break; it describes ideas, arguments, or situations.

2. so unpleasant, painful, or difficult that you cannot accept it or allow it to co

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

so unpleasant, painful, or difficult that you cannot accept it or allow it to continue any longer — used about situations, conditions, or suffering.

Example

The level of violence in the neighbourhood had become unsupportable for families with young children.

become + unsupportable for [someone]

Greta described the pain in her lower back as unsupportable and asked the doctor for stronger medication.

describe + [noun] + as unsupportable

Common collocations
  • unsupportable pain
  • unsupportable heat
  • unsupportable noise
  • unsupportable pressure
  • become unsupportable
  • find something unsupportable
Synonyms
  • unbearable

    more common in everyday speech about pain or discomfort

  • intolerable

    close in meaning; often used for social or political conditions

  • insufferable

    stronger emotional tone, often used for people's behaviour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

become + unsupportable

find + object + unsupportable

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense refers to real-world conditions (pain, noise, cost, violence) that are too much to bear, not to ideas that lack evidence. The situation is the subject, not an argument.

Common Mistakes

His unsupportable personality made him hard to like.
His difficult personality made him hard to like.
'unsupportable' is not used for personality traits. Use 'unbearable' or 'intolerable' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All four words describe something too extreme to accept, but they differ in typical use. 'Unbearable' is the most common in everyday English, used for physical pain, heat, or emotional distress ('an unbearable headache'). 'Intolerable' often applies to social or political conditions that violate basic standards ('intolerable working conditions'). 'Insufferable' carries a sharper emotional tone and is frequently directed at a person's behaviour or attitude ('his insufferable arrogance'). 'Unsupportable' (this sense) overlaps most with 'intolerable' but is slightly less common and more formal; it appears most often in writing about systemic problems like violence, corruption, or financial pressure. For everyday aches and annoyances, 'unbearable' is the natural choice; for situations that demand change, 'intolerable' or 'unsupportable' fits better.

unbearable ↗intolerable ↗insufferable ↗insupportable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • logically unsupportable
  • morally unsupportable
  • financially unsupportable
  • clearly unsupportable

Phrases

  • find something unsupportable
  • dismiss something as unsupportable
  • rule something unsupportable
  • become unsupportable

Prepositions

  • unsupportable for
  • unsupportable to

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English by adding the negative prefix 'un-' to 'supportable', which itself comes from Old French 'supportable' (bearable, endurable), based on Latin 'supportare' — from 'sub-' (from below) + 'portare' (to carry). The word originally meant 'able to be carried or endured'; adding 'un-' reverses that meaning. The two modern senses ('cannot be proven' and 'cannot be endured') emerged around the 17th century.

First known use

1586

1586, in the meaning defined above