unsustainable
not able to continue long-term
If something is unsustainable, it cannot continue for a long time.
unsustainable [level/rate/pace/pressure/amount]
- Working seventy hours a week is unsustainable for most people.
- The team’s current pace is unsustainable, and injuries are starting to rise.
- Raising prices every month is an unsustainable strategy.
- This schedule is unsustainable.
- The pressure became unsustainable.
environmentally damaging long-term
If a way of living or producing is unsustainable, it harms nature and cannot continue without causing damage.
unsustainable [practice/model/consumption/production/agriculture]
- Relying on coal for electricity is unsustainable in the long run.
- The report highlights unsustainable water use in the region.
- Many scientists warn that current consumption patterns are unsustainable.
- Plastic waste is unsustainable.
- This kind of farming is unsustainable.
not affordable or supportable financially
If something is financially unsustainable, it costs too much to continue.
unsustainable [costs/expenses/debt/deficit/spending]
- With interest rates rising, the country’s debt has become unsustainable.
- The free-shipping policy was unsustainable once fuel prices increased.
- Experts say the current healthcare spending trajectory is unsustainable.
- This plan is unsustainable for our budget.
not defensible or logically supportable
If an argument is unsustainable, it cannot be proved or defended.
unsustainable [claim/argument/position/assumption]
- The judge ruled that the interpretation was unsustainable.
- Her argument is unsustainable because it relies on false data.
- The report calls the company’s assumptions unsustainable.
- That claim is unsustainable.
- Base: unsustainable
- Comparative: unsustainabler
- Superlative: unsustainablest
at an unsustainable pace
1too fast to keep up
Too fast to continue for a long time.
- Prices are rising at an unsustainable pace.
- The startup was hiring at an unsustainable pace.
- She was training at an unsustainable pace and got injured.
environmentally unsustainable
1harmful to the environment
Bad for the environment and cannot continue long-term.
- Many single-use products are environmentally unsustainable.
- The committee called the plan environmentally unsustainable.
- They redesigned the packaging because the old version was environmentally unsustainable.
unsustainable business model
1business plan that won’t last
A business model that cannot work for long.
- Investors worried that the company had an unsustainable business model.
- Cheap prices were supported by an unsustainable business model based on debt.
- The new regulations exposed how unsustainable the business model was.
unsustainable debt
1debt that cannot be repaid
Debt that is too large to pay back.
- The IMF warned that the country was approaching unsustainable debt.
- Many households took on unsustainable debt to cover basic expenses.
- The company’s unsustainable debt forced it to renegotiate with lenders.
unsustainable growth
1growth that cannot last
Growth that will stop or cause problems later.
- Analysts think the housing market is showing signs of unsustainable growth.
- The city’s unsustainable growth is straining water supplies.
- Unsustainable growth can hide serious weaknesses in a business model.
unsustainable workload
1too much work to continue
Too much work to keep doing for a long time.
- Nurses reported an unsustainable workload during the winter surge.
- An unsustainable workload is a major cause of staff turnover.
- He asked for help because his workload had become unsustainable.