Nonscalable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Unable to be increased in size, extent, or capacity according to demand
2. Describing something that cannot be enlarged or efficiently adjusted for growth
3. Characterizing a system or process that does not support scaling up or expansion

Etymology: "Nonscalable" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "scalable," which itself comes from "scale" (in the sense of climbing or ascending, as in scaling a wall) combined with the suffix "-able," meaning capable of being done. A "scalable" system is one that can be enlarged to handle more users, data, or output without falling apart, and "nonscalable" describes the opposite: a design that breaks down or becomes impractical as it grows. The word draws on two senses of "scale." The older one, from Latin "scala" meaning ladder, gave us climbing, while the one that matters here, the sense of a measured size or extent, was developed later. In computing and business contexts, "scalable" took on the meaning of growing in capacity, and "nonscalable" followed naturally as its negation.

Synonyms: unscalable, nonexpandable, fixed, limited, restricted

Antonyms: scalable, expandable, flexible, adaptable, extensible