1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
a handful of ungovernable students are disrupting the learning environment for everyone else
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncontrollable
given to resisting control or discipline by others
resigned to the fact that my cat is basically is an ungovernable beast with a will of his own
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ungovernable
In California, the shift toward ungovernable fires in populated places has been under way for several years.
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Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
The colonial government’s fear of ungovernable Black people still lingered, however.
—Sasha C. Wells / Made By History, TIME, 26 Dec. 2024
In its editorial, Automotive News said Stellantis might be ungovernable but was certainly in need of a major overhaul.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
But even Jewish-Jewish coalitions have proved ungovernable.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ungovernable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungovernable
Adjective
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Still, Adams failed to outright ask the most important questions: Were Canadians ever willing to join the rebellious Thirteen Colonies?—
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Libra: Marge Simpson from The Simpsons Only a Libra mother could calmly and miraculously put up with the shenanigans that her three rebellious children cause.—
Adjective
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Research shows that people under stress are more likely to give up, but only when the situation feels uncontrollable.—
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Entire neighborhoods are retrofitted with clear glass domes that activate during extreme rainstorms and uncontrollable wildfires.—
Adjective
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President Trump met with former rebel leader turned new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa.—
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Incidents of violence by rebel groups fell from 1,936 in 2010 to 374 in 2024, according to data from the home ministry.—
Adjective
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The budget does, thankfully, enshrine the Department of Government Efficiency’s acknowledgment that federal sprawl has become unmanageable.—
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Each box weighed close to 30 pounds—cumbersome, though not unmanageable for a moderately-strong adult.—
Adjective
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The defiant message comes after weeks of intense news coverage and a Republican House committee investigation into Hope Florida and its nonprofit charity arm, the Hope Florida Foundation.—
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Post match, the 17-year-old was in a typically defiant mood.—
Adjective
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When tragedy strikes on Michigan roads—when a car skids off an icy bend or a semi-truck barrels through a red light—victims are often left to face not only devastating injuries but also a daunting legal maze of corporate denials and stubborn insurers.—
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Get The Recipe Smart Move Similar recipes with beans and peas existed before then, but a challenge made to a stubborn chef named Helen Corbitt spurred the creation of Texas caviar.—
Adjective
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Perhaps the city’s current crises—crumbling public infrastructure, intractable civic strife, the President’s attempts to strangle his home town—have reminded New Yorkers of a different period of chaos, when Cuomo seemed a beacon of sanity.—
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Fresh off its unqualified diplomatic successes with the Russians, the Iranians, and Hamas’s terrorists and their intermediaries, the Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to resolve another of the world’s seemingly intractable conundrums: North Korea and its nuclear arsenal.—
Adjective
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Afghanistan remains unruly and dangerous and Pakistan is a willing and able partner in facing those threats, including a resurgent Al Qaeda.—
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But the consequences of excessive drinking onboard – from unruly behavior to safety risks – can far outweigh the temporary pleasure of a drink.—
Cite this Entry
“Ungovernable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungovernable. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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