unobtainable

Unobtainable is an adjective used to describe something that cannot be obtained or achieved under the given conditions. It signals a barrier—whether practical, legal, ideological, or due to scarcity—that prevents possession or completion.

Etymology and usage: The word is formed from un- plus obtainable. It appears in standard English to denote the absence of feasibility, distance from a goal, or unattainable potential, and it is applied across various domains to emphasize that a target remains out of reach.

Contexts: In everyday language, people may call a goal unobtainable if it seems unreachable because of resources or constraints. In economics and sociology, the concept can illustrate aspirational gaps created by scarcity, inequality, or social structures. In literature, film, and art, the unobtainable often serves as a motif of desire, longing, or the limits of human agency and pursuit.

See also: Related terms include unattainable, unreachable, and impossible.