hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion"; "an awkward pause followed his remark"; "a sticky question"; "in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign"
Used in a Sentence
unenviable
How to use unenviable in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for unenviable.
Editorial note
That they've got the unenviable choice of losing their work, or losing somebody else's... or losing both.
Examples11
Definitions2
Parts of speech1
Quick take
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion"; "an awkward pause followed his remark"; "a sticky question"; "in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of unenviable gathered in one view.
so undesirable as to be incapable of arousing envy; "unenviable notoriety"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for unenviable.
adjective
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion"; "an awkward pause followed his remark"; "a sticky question"; "in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign"
See also: awkward, embarrassing, sticky
adjective
so undesirable as to be incapable of arousing envy; "unenviable notoriety"
Example sentences
That they've got the unenviable choice of losing their work, or losing somebody else's... or losing both.
No, just more evidence female's life is unenviable in Albania
" From CEOs to middle managers, people pretend their jobs are unenviable, because it makes the organization more stable that way.
I would agree with this, although I'm in the unenviable position of needing a lot of dental work after not having had any for awhile.
The founders of Diaspora were in a really unenviable position.
Maybe you find yourself in the unenviable position of needing to both develop and manage a business and be a whistle-blower at the same time.
I've also been in the equally unenviable position of having to pay for someone who completed work according to a scope that was too vaguely defined.
They are in the unenviable position of living at low cost in low density housing in a locality that is shooting up in value, and all they can do is attempt to forestall the inevitable.
What you quoted back to me is the possibly flawed recollection of a reporter who's in the unenviable position of defending a very high-profile cover story used to relaunch a national magazine.
What I see when I look out the window is a person who has the determination and energy to push a heavy cart up a hill on a cold night, and yet a person who has -- despite those traits, which society values -- found themselves in an unenviable life position right now.
It's more that I'm lamenting that as a mobile app developer for commercial clients I am forced to use the platforms which have traction, which leaves me with the unenviable choice of iOS or Android, both of which have significant warts, and neither of which leave much choice for experimentation in languages for writing apps or UIs.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use unenviable in a sentence?
That they've got the unenviable choice of losing their work, or losing somebody else's... or losing both.
What does unenviable mean?
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion"; "an awkward pause followed his remark"; "a sticky question"; "in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign"
What part of speech is unenviable?
unenviable is commonly used as adjective.