unattainability

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unattainability" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the quality of being impossible to achieve or reach. Example: "The unattainability of perfection often leads to feelings of frustration among artists."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

The great film-maker had a compulsive taste for unattainable blondes and Mary Rose, notwithstanding matrimony and motherhood (it's easier to think of her playing hide-and-seek with her boyish hubby than having sex with him) is, from one perspective, the ultimate in essential unattainability.

Independent

The British handed the city back, in 1997, as China was beginning its economic ascent, and Hong Kong had lost its quality of mythical unattainability.

The New Yorker

The voir dire is nothing if not a recognition of the unattainability of the ideal of neutrality and the inescapability of bias.

The New Yorker

Acceptance of utopia's unattainability, in other words, is the best insurance against totalitarianism.

The New York Times

The provisional title is "Dirty Pictures" and the theme is "the unattainability of desire, any desire".

The New York Times - Magazine

In the re-evaluation of Prince's work after his death, a lot of people rediscovered the wonderful Little Red Corvette from the album 1999, a paeon to a doomed affair that uses the car as a metaphor for beauty and unattainability.

The Guardian - Music

Here's an insufferable teen drama whose female lead displays almost radioactive levels of manic pixie dream-girl quirkiness: a Chernobyl of adorkable bohemian unattainability.

The Guardian - Film

And that fits the modern sense of the unattainability of stars of her era.

The Guardian - Opinion

The problem is its international unattainability through income redistribution in today's world.

The Guardian

And yet Milosz was always impatient with "the insufficiency of lyric", as the poet Donald Davie expressed it, and indeed the insufficiency of all art, deeply conscious of the unattainability of the reality that surrounds us.

The Guardian - Books

Opie's film, "The Modernist," is about an arsonist who is obsessed with L.A.'s landmark mid-century houses, and, driven to madness by their unattainability, starts methodically burning them down.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "unattainability" to convey a sense of something being fundamentally impossible to reach or achieve, often in contexts where aspirations or desires are thwarted.

Common error

Avoid using "unattainability" when simply describing something difficult to obtain; reserve it for situations where achievement is genuinely impossible, to prevent exaggerating the situation.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "unattainability" is as a noun. It names the state or quality of being unattainable. As Ludwig AI explains, the phrase is grammatically correct and usable in written English. The examples show it acting as the subject or object of a sentence.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "unattainability" is a noun used to describe the state of something being impossible to achieve. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability in English. The provided examples, predominantly from news and media sources, highlight its function in expressing the impossibility of reaching certain goals or desires. While grammatically sound and frequently used, it's important to ensure that its specific connotation of impossibility aligns with the intended meaning, avoiding its use when referring to something merely difficult.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Impossibility of achievement

This alternative emphasizes the complete lack of possibility in achieving a goal.

Inaccessibility

Focuses on the state of not being able to be reached or entered.

Unreachableness

Highlights the inability to physically or metaphorically reach something.

Impracticability

Stresses the difficulty or impossibility due to practical reasons.

Infeasibility

Highlights that something cannot be done or carried out.

Hopelessness

Emphasizes the lack of hope in achieving something.

Insurmountability

Focuses on the inability to overcome a barrier or obstacle.

Elusiveness

Suggests something is difficult to catch, find or achieve.

Beyond reach

Indicates that something is not within one's grasp or capability.

Out of reach

Similar to 'beyond reach', but with a slightly more common usage.

FAQs

How can I use "unattainability" in a sentence?

"Unattainability" is typically used as a noun to describe the state of something being impossible to reach or achieve. For example, "The "unattainability of perfection" can be frustrating."

What's a good substitute for "unattainability"?

Depending on the context, alternatives to "unattainability" include "impossibility", "inaccessibility", or "unreachableness".

Is "unattainability" the same as "difficulty"?

No, "unattainability" suggests something is impossible to achieve, while "difficulty" implies a challenge that can potentially be overcome. The "unattainability" of a goal means it cannot be reached, whereas a difficult goal can still be achieved with effort.

What does "unattainability of desire" mean?

"Unattainability of desire" refers to the state where a strong wish or longing cannot be fulfilled. This concept is often explored in literature and art, representing a theme of unfulfilled aspirations or dreams.