unavailable
- 01 B1 Intermediate
not able to be bought, used, or found.
not able to be obtained, purchased, or utilised at the present time.
Simple“The book I wanted was unavailable at the local library.”
In context“The specific replacement parts for the vintage engine are currently unavailable due to a global supply chain disruption.”
SynonymsunobtainablescarceAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
too busy to talk to someone or do something.
not free to be consulted or contacted; occupied with other duties.
Simple“The manager is unavailable for a meeting until tomorrow morning.”
In context“The lead surgeon remains unavailable for comment while the post-operative assessment is still in progress.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
not producing the result you want.
producing no effect; useless or unavailing.
Simple“Their efforts to fix the old machine proved unavailable in the end.”
In context“The traditional remedies were found to be unavailable against the virulent new strain of the virus.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is archaic; modern speakers almost exclusively use 'ineffective' or 'useless' instead.
Synonyms
From un- + available.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.