Word · CEFR C1 · Frequency #19748
unenviable
不值得羡慕的；不会令人嫉妒的
so undesirable that nobody would envy it
- 1.
Difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant; not to be envied.
困难的、不受欢迎或不愉快的；不值得羡慕的。
困难的、不受欢迎或不愉快的；不值得羡慕的。；不值得羡慕的；尴尬的；不会引起嫉妒的
In use
He had the unenviable task of telling the staff about the pay cut.
Cleaning the oven is an unenviable job, but somebody has to do it.
She found herself in the unenviable position of having to choose between her two best friends.
an unenviable + noun
He has the unenviable task of telling the bad news.
他承担了告知这个坏消息的尴尬任务。
find sth unenviable
Many find the job unenviable due to the long hours.
许多人觉得这份工作不值得羡慕，因为工作时间长。
be in an unenviable position
She was in an unenviable position, having to choose between two bad options.
她处于尴尬的境地，不得不在两个糟糕的选择中做决定。
Common mistakes
He felt unenviable about his friend's success.He did not feel envious about his friend's success.
“Unenviable”意为“不值得羡慕的”，描述令人不羡慕的事物，而非表示“不感到羡慕”。应使用“envious”表示“羡慕的”情绪。
She has an unenviable talent for singing.She has an enviable talent for singing.
“Enviable”意为“令人羡慕的”，而“unenviable”是其反义词，意为“不值得羡慕的”。此处应使用“enviable”以表达赞美之意。
Connections
Collocations
- unenviable task
- 吃力不讨好的任务；艰难的差事
- She was given the unenviable task of telling the staff about the layoffs.她接下了向员工通报裁员这一吃力不讨好的任务。
- unenviable position
- 尴尬的处境；不利的地位
- The new manager found himself in the unenviable position of having to choose between two friends.新经理发现自己处于不得不在这两个朋友之间做出选择的尴尬境地。
- unenviable reputation
- 坏名声；不佳的名声
- That restaurant has gained an unenviable reputation for poor service.那家餐厅因服务差而名声不佳。
- unenviable record
- 糟糕的记录；不光彩的记录
- This month has set an unenviable record for the number of accidents on the highway.这个月的高速公路事故次数创下了糟糕的纪录。
- unenviable distinction
- 不光彩的殊荣；令人尴尬的特别头衔
- He holds the unenviable distinction of being the first player sent off in the tournament.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
记忆：un（不）+enviable（令人羡慕）→ 不值得羡慕的；想象一份没人眼红、只有辛苦的差事。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：formal writing、news reports、official statements 主要用于正式或书面语境，常修饰 task、position 等词；口语中较少使用。
Pronunciation & Spelling
‘enviable’ rhymes with the target’s stressed syllable and ending. Words like ‘unviable’ and ‘deniable’ look similar in spelling but are pronounced with /aɪ/, so they do not rhyme; the others share only the common -able ending.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY.