Not able to be defended, justified, or maintained; something that cannot logically or reasonably be supported.
From un- (not) + tenable (from Latin 'tenere' meaning 'to hold'). The word literally means 'not capable of being held or maintained,' first used in English in the 17th century.
In chess and military strategy, an 'untenable position' is one where you'll lose no matter what you do—it's not about being outmatched in a single moment but about having run out of good moves!
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