If you describe a situation or task as unenviable, you mean that nobody would enjoy dealing with it because it is very difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant.
She had the unenviable task of making the first few phone calls.
It put me in the unenviable position of having to lie.
Synonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable, undesirable, painful More Synonyms of unenviable
unenviable in British English
(ʌnˈɛnvɪəbəl)
adjective
not to be envied
the unenviable task
Examples of 'unenviable' in a sentence
unenviable
Getting the selection right for the South Africa game is looking more and more of an unenviable task.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is an unenviable task but he must stand strong for the longterm good of racing.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They now find themselves with an unenviable choice.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The guard commander had an unenviable job.
Richard Holmes Dusty Warriors: Modern Soldiers at War (2006)
It is an unenviable position to be in.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Either way the president is now left with an unenviable choice.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Mir was in an unenviable position.
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
The choice is unenviable but unavoidable.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Sale have the unenviable record of having leaked more tries than any club in Premiership history.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is an unenviable situation, and not one that should make us gloat.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Their security looks likely to be precarious, their task unenviable.
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
Spain will announce the winner of one of the most unenviable jobs in Europe today.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The government has a large and unenviable task, but some pundits say it is rushing policy.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Much derided, but with an unenviable job.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
With hindsight, his position was unenviable in the extreme.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Glastonbury's unenviable task is to put on a festival that can please both extremes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
As such, he had an unenviable choice between representing himself and abandoning his claim.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The eurozone's unenviable position as the catalyst of the recent turmoil has made it deeply unpopular.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The clashes put America in an unenviable position.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
So clearly some sort of context needs to be applied to that unenviable record of two wins from 22 matches.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It claims the unenviable record of having the highest number of takeaways as a percentage of population anywhere in Britain.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is an unenviable job.
The Sun (2010)
Because of their lightness they don't need an airfield to take off or land and in their early days they had an unenviable safety record.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This left Broad with the unenviable task of inserting another microchip under the skin at the rhino's other end.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
(adjective)
Definition
(of a task) so difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant that one is glad not to have to do it oneself
She had the unenviable task of making the first few phone calls.
Synonyms
unpleasant
They tolerated what they felt was an unpleasant situation.
disagreeable
He's a shallow, disagreeable man.
undesirable
A large group of undesirable strangers crashed her party.
painful
His remark brought back painful memories.
uncomfortable
There was another long and uncomfortable silence.
unwanted
thankless
unwished-for
uncoveted
Opposites
pleasant
,
agreeable
,
enviable
,
attractive
,
desirable
Additional synonyms
in the sense of disagreeable
Definition
(of a person) bad-tempered or disobliging
He's a shallow, disagreeable man.
Synonyms
ill-natured,
difficult,
nasty,
cross,
contrary,
unpleasant,
rude,
irritable,
unfriendly,
bad-tempered,
surly,
churlish,
brusque,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
peevish,
ungracious,
disobliging,
unlikable or unlikeable
in the sense of painful
Definition
causing pain or distress
His remark brought back painful memories.
Synonyms
distressing,
unpleasant,
harrowing,
saddening,
grievous,
distasteful,
agonizing,
disagreeable,
afflictive
in the sense of uncomfortable
Definition
causing discomfort or unease
There was another long and uncomfortable silence.
Synonyms
awkward,
strained,
embarrassing,
tense,
charged,
embarrassed,
tickly (informal),
unpleasant,
uneasy,
barro (Australian, slang)
Nearby words of
unenviable
unending
unendurable
unenthusiastic
unenviable
unequal
unequalled
unequivocal
Synonyms of 'unenviable'
unenviable
Explore 'unenviable' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of undesirable
Definition
not desirable or pleasant
A large group of undesirable strangers crashed her party.