2007-03-06 10:07:08 · 28 answers · asked by Meeeee! 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
it is in referece to a window that is stuck/jammed shut but I need something that sounds more professional than "jammed" or "stuck"
& it isn't locked.
2007-03-06 10:14:08 · update #1
yes, it is a word. Check Merriam Webster Dictionary Online. Under "un", there is a long list of words. Unopenable is on the list.
http://209.161.33.50/dictionary/unopenable
2007-03-06 10:13:20 · answer #1 · answered by watanake 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Kate I think has a 'handle' on this. For something not be be 'able to be opened' is a relatively rare experience (conceptually and in fact) so we seemingly have never come up with a satisfactory common word for it. We talk about 'stuck' or 'jammed' or 'resistant', but these can be read as 'temporary' conditions, whereas for something to 'never be able to be opened' implies a 'permanent' condition. Impregnable strictly means not able to be 'entered', wheras 'opening' does not always imply entering (it can be 'letting something out - as in Pandora's box). Locked is simply talking about a 'mechanism' whereby something is closed, and implies an 'unlocking' capability exists. 'Sealed' doesn't imply permanence. I shall consult the OED over the next 24 hours unless someone else comes up with an answer.
I'd note though, that you example of the window which is jammed (for want of a fancier word) isn't an example of the 'permanently closed' type of un-openable that has engaged my imagination here. For the sort of sliding mechanism that a window represents, mechanics have words such as 'frozen'. Good hunting!
2007-03-06 10:32:36 · answer #2 · answered by nandadevi9 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The dictionary does not list "unopenable" as an accepted word. A synonym for this word would be locked (locked tight) and fastened. You can also use unbreachable. But the situations out there are many. You may have to choose the right word. You can try using the online thesaurus feature at Dictionary.com.
2007-03-06 10:20:35 · answer #3 · answered by Dowland 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Analyzation Thesaurus
2016-10-13 11:25:29 · answer #4 · answered by rickey 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Locked
2007-03-06 10:10:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends on who's going to read it. I mean, how formal is it? I hate poor English, but "un-openable" seems OK to me, allbeit a bit clumsy.
If you need something a bit more formal, try a construction like "(the) window, which was stuck fast".
2007-03-06 10:23:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
UN-OPENABLE ISN'T IN DICTIONARY, BUT IN FAIRNESS IS A PRETTY GOOD SELF EXPLANATORY MAKEY UP WORD. YOU MAY NEED TO USE AN ADJECTIVE AFTER YOU SAY WINDOW,IE THE WINDOW IS SEIZED UP, WEDGED SHUT OR NAILED SHUT ETC .
2007-03-09 11:54:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, un-openable is not a word as openable isn't. I suggest that you just say (or type) the full phrase 'not able to be opened' or 'impossible to open'.
2007-03-06 10:13:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. There is unopened or it does not open or even locked, jammed.
2007-03-06 10:11:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Open impaired? Openly challenged? Non-open?
2007-03-06 10:11:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋