adjective

untreatable

Untreatable (adjective) means of an illness, injury or condition: not able to be helped or cured by any available medical treatment. Example: “At the time the infection was effectively untreatable.”

adjective

Of an illness, injury or condition: not able to be helped or cured by any available medical treatment.

"At the time the infection was effectively untreatable."

"Antibiotic resistance is turning once-routine infections into untreatable ones."

"The condition is manageable rather than untreatable."

More generally: of a problem or material, not able to be dealt with or processed by the usual methods.

"Some contaminated soil is simply untreatable and has to be removed."

How to use untreatable

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething, usually an illness, that no available treatment can help.

When to use it

Largely medical, and it carries weight — in everyday speech people more often say a condition "can't be treated."

Memory tip

Untreatable means no treatment helps at all; incurable means it can be managed but never fully cured.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

incurable → terminal → inoperable →

Common pairings

effectively untreatable untreatable condition previously untreatable untreatable infection

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At the time the infection was effectively _____.

Etymology

Formed in English from the prefix "un-" (not) plus "treatable," from the verb "treat." "Treat" entered English in the thirteenth century from Old French "traitier," from Latin "tractare," meaning to handle or manage.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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incurable inoperable irremediable unmanageable intractable

Antonyms

treatable curable operable

Related words

operation operate chronic perverse obedient curable incurable inoperable

Rhymes for untreatable

able fable cable table viable liable stable tenable parable affable amiable notable

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between untreatable and incurable?

They are close but not identical. "Incurable" means the condition cannot be permanently cured, though symptoms may still be eased or controlled. "Untreatable" is stronger: it means there is no effective treatment available at all, not even one that manages the symptoms. Many incurable conditions are very treatable.

Does untreatable mean terminal?

No. "Terminal" means a condition is expected to end in death, usually within a foreseeable period. "Untreatable" only says that no effective treatment exists — which may describe a condition that is uncomfortable or limiting but not life-threatening.

What is the opposite of untreatable?

The direct opposite is "treatable," meaning a condition that responds to available medical care. "Curable" is stronger still: it means the condition can be removed entirely, not merely managed.

What is the meaning of untreatable?

"untreatable" (adjective) means of an illness, injury or condition: not able to be helped or cured by any available medical treatment.

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