What does unattainable mean?
Unattainable is an adjective meaning impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve. It is often used with nouns such as goal, target, standard, ideal, and dream to describe a hoped-for outcome that lies beyond practical limits. The word carries a stronger implication than difficult or unrealistic: an unattainable objective is generally regarded as impossible under the relevant circumstances. It can apply literally to a place or physical object, but figurative uses are much more common, especially in formal discussion of ambition, performance, and planning. Unattainable is frequently used when acknowledging that even significant effort cannot produce a proposed result. Its clearly negative form, built with the prefix un- and the related adjective attainable, makes its meaning immediately accessible. In careful writing, the word is useful when the distinction between a demanding but feasible goal and one that cannot realistically be achieved needs to be expressed.
adjectiveNot possible to reach, obtain, or achieve; beyond one's reach or capabilities.
- Unable to be reached, obtained, or achieved.
"The committee acknowledged that the proposed target was unattainable within the available time."
"Perfect accuracy may be an unattainable standard in a rapidly changing field."
"She recognized the difference between a challenging ambition and a genuinely unattainable one."
An unattainable goal is not merely a difficult goal: it lies beyond the limits of what can be achieved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of unattainable
Unattainable was formed in English by adding the negative prefix un- to attainable. The related word attain comes through Anglo-French from Latin attingere, meaning “to touch” or “reach,” and developed the sense of arriving at or achieving something. Attainment and attainder belong to the same wider etymological family.
Related word forms
How unattainable is actually used
Formal in register and common in discussions of goals, standards, ideals, and expectations. It describes something considered impossible to reach or achieve, rather than merely difficult.
Easily confused with unattainable
Unattainable means impossible to reach or achieve, whereas unattained means not yet reached or achieved and may still be possible.