1
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。
不值得羡慕的；不会令人嫉妒的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
不值得羡慕的；不会令人嫉妒的
so undesirable that nobody would envy it
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。
困难的、不受欢迎或不愉快的；不值得羡慕的。
Difficult, undesirable, or unpleasant; not to be envied.
He had the unenviable task of telling the staff about the pay cut.
他承担了告诉员工减薪消息这一不值得羡慕的任务。
Cleaning the oven is an unenviable job, but somebody has to do it.
清理烤箱是一件没人羡慕的活儿，但总得有人做。
She found herself in the unenviable position of having to choose between her two best friends.
她发现自己处于一个尴尬的境地，不得不在两个最好的朋友之间做选择。
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。
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。
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。
Not this
He felt unenviable about his friend's success.
Use this
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。
Not this
She has an unenviable talent for singing.
Use this
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。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
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。
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。
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。
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。
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.
他得到了在本次赛事中第一位被罚下场的尴尬称号。
吃力不讨好的任务；苦差事
She had the unenviable task of telling the staff that their jobs were being cut.
她承担了吃力不讨好的任务：告诉员工们他们的岗位将被裁撤。
处于窘境；处于不利境地
The company finds itself in the unenviable position of having to lay off workers right before the holidays.
公司发现自己处境尴尬，不得不在假期前裁员。
不光彩的名声；令人难堪的记录
He has the unenviable distinction of being the most frequently injured player on the team.
他有着一项不光彩的记录——队内受伤最频繁的球员。
Use unenviable naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
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。
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。
‘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.