an indefensible stance

USAGE SUMMARY

"an indefensible stance" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when describing a position or argument that cannot be justified or defended. Example: "His refusal to acknowledge the evidence presented an indefensible stance." Alternative expressions include "an untenable position" and "a defenseless argument."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

That is a pretty indefensible stance to take, but it is exactly the way the federal government has treated marijuana for the past four decades.

Huffington Post

That is an indefensible position.

The New York Times

The alternative is political trench warfare from an indefensible position.

The Guardian

It's an indefensible position.

Forbes

It is an indefensible position, at this point.

HuffPost

In her first major interview since stepping down, Lady Warsi, 43, the daughter of a businessman who emigrated from Pakistan as a mill worker – or in her words, "the girl from Dewsbury who ended up at the top table in the land" – says she has been relaxing since resigning in August as a Foreign Office minister, after criticising the government's "morally indefensible" stance on Gaza.

The Guardian

The resignation of Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first Muslim cabinet minister, in protest against her government's "morally indefensible" stance, emboldened Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, to demand the suspension of arms export licences to Israel.

The Guardian - Opinion

Speaking to The Sunday Times in her first newspaper interview since resigning over Britain's "morally indefensible" stance on Gaza, Warsi attacks Cameron's closest cabinet allies — George Osborne, the chancellor, and Michael Gove, the chief whip — for failing to use their "very, very close" relationship with the Israeli government to press for an end to the violence.

The Times

Like Romney, if the GOP doesn't silently get rid of him, Kobach will tarnish the Republican brand even more than he already has as he goes down flaming, defending his indefensible stances publicly while someone makes their career on stomping him into the ground.

Huffington Post

"But it was just an indefensible hit".

The New York Times - Sports

That is an indefensible giveaway to the richest Americans.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair this phrase with evidence-based critiques to maximize its rhetorical impact in persuasive essays or political commentary.

Common error

While "stance" can refer to physical posture (as seen in many sports examples in Ludwig), when using the adjective "indefensible", the meaning is almost always metaphorical and relates to a viewpoint or policy. Avoid using it to describe a physical position unless you are writing about a literal military defense scenario.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an indefensible stance" acts as a noun phrase typically used as the object of a sentence or following a linking verb. It combines the indefinite article "an", the evaluative adjective "indefensible", and the noun "stance". According to Ludwig AI, it is frequently used to provide a definitive judgment on the validity of an argument.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

15%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Science

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "an indefensible stance" is a powerful linguistic tool for expressing total disagreement or moral condemnation. Analysis from Ludwig shows that while the phrase itself has few exact matches in our database, its component parts and very close variations (like <a href="/s/an+indefensible+position" target="_blank" rel="alternative">an indefensible position) are staples of high-quality journalism and academic critique. The phrase is grammatically correct and most effective when used in professional or analytical contexts to describe a viewpoint that lacks logic or ethical grounding. Whether you are critiquing government policy or a corporate strategy, using this phrase signals a high level of rhetorical precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

an indefensible position

Directly replaces the word stance with position, which is more common in formal rhetoric

an untenable position

Focuses on the impossibility of maintaining or defending the position over time

an unjustifiable viewpoint

Emphasizes the lack of valid reasons or justification for the opinion

a defenseless argument

Uses a more informal or rhetorical tone to describe a point that lacks any support

an irrational standpoint

Focuses on the lack of logical reasoning behind the position

a flawed perspective

Suggests the viewpoint is based on incorrect data or logic rather than being completely unsupportable

a questionable stance

A milder critique suggesting that the position is open to doubt rather than being outright wrong

a morally bankrupt position

Strongly emphasizes the ethical failure of the viewpoint

shaky ground

An idiomatic way to describe a position that is unstable and likely to fail

an unsustainable approach

Used more frequently in business or environmental contexts to describe strategy

FAQs

How do I use "an indefensible stance" in a sentence?

You can use it to critique an opinion, for example: "The company's refusal to address the safety violations remains <a href="/s/an+indefensible+stance" target="_blank" rel="alternative">an indefensible stance in the eyes of the public."

What is the difference between "an indefensible stance" and an <a href="/s/untenable+position" target="_blank" rel="alternative">untenable position?

Both refer to arguments that cannot be supported, but "untenable" often implies that the situation is physically or strategically impossible to maintain, while "indefensible" focuses more on the moral or logical failure.

Is "an indefensible stance" formal?

Yes, it is a formal and sophisticated phrase. For more casual settings, you might say someone has <a href="/s/no+leg+to+stand+on" target="_blank" rel="alternative">no leg to stand on.

Can I use "a" or "an" with this phrase?

Because "indefensible" starts with a vowel sound, you must always use the article "an" before it when it is singular.