Standard Lemma guide

unenviable

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N EH1 N V IY2 AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant; not to be envied.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Valjean was in the unenviable position of either living with the knowledge an innocent would suffer for his crime or revealing his true identity and going back to prison.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

so undesirable as to be incapable of arousing envy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • unenviable notoriety

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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 relationships

Synonyms: awkward, embarrassing, sticky

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Old French enviebor. Middle English envie English envy Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English enviable English unenviable From un- + enviable.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: незавиден (nezaviden) — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Czech: nezáviděníhodný — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Finnish: ei kadehdittava — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • French: peu enviable — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • German: wenig beneidenswert — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • German: kaum zu beneidend — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Greek: αζήλευτος (azíleftos) — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Ancient Greek: ἄζηλος (ázēlos) — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Plautdietsch: onjenstich — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant
  • Polish: nie do pozazdroszczenia — difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant