Monday, February 16, 2015

untenable, untenantable

Untenable or untenable describes an argument or position that cannot be defended or sustained, literally or figuratively--
He has been arguing just to be contentious, and now he's in an untenable position.
Their position was untenable in the face of the onslaught; they fell back in disorder.

Untenantable or untenantable means unfit to be rented or occupied--
The building has been listed as untenantable, until the necessary repairs are made.
The dwelling looked sound, but the noise in the area made it untenantable.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The leaking roof makes the building untenantable, and any argument to the contrary is untenable."

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