undeliverable
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not able to be delivered: Describes an item, such as mail or a package, that cannot be handed over to the intended recipient or destination.
- Not capable of being fulfilled: Used figuratively for promises, services, or results that cannot be provided or achieved.
Usage Examples
- (The postal service could not deliver the mail.)
- (The item could not be delivered because of a payment issue.)
- (The promise could not be fulfilled.)
Advanced Usage
- "undeliverable mail": Mail that cannot be delivered and is typically returned to the sender or sent to a dead letter office.
- The post office processes undeliverable mail each week. (Mail that cannot reach its destination.)
- "undeliverable service": A service that cannot be provided as agreed.
- The contract was voided because the service was undeliverable. (The service could not be performed.)
Variants and Related Words
- Undeliverability (noun): The state or condition of being undeliverable.
- The undeliverability of the shipment caused delays. (The inability to deliver the shipment.)
- Undelivered (adjective): Not delivered; not handed over.
- The undelivered packages were stored in the warehouse. (Items that were not delivered.)
Synonyms
- Unreachable: Not able to be reached or accessed.
- Unattainable: Not able to be achieved or obtained.
- Returnable: Capable of being sent back (often used for undeliverable mail).
Related Idioms
- Dead letter: A letter that cannot be delivered or returned to the sender.
- The undeliverable envelope became a dead letter. (A piece of mail with no known recipient or return address.)
Phrasal Verbs
- (No common phrasal verbs are directly associated with "undeliverable," as it is primarily an adjective.)