Untacklable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Impossible to physically bring down or stop from advancing in a sports context ; incapable of being effectively dealt with, managed, or addressed in a broader sense ; resistant to intervention or solution in any attempt to gain control or resolve a problem or issue
2. Unable to be overcome by physical force during a game ; presenting insurmountable challenges to handling or solving a situation ; too difficult or complex to be subdued or confronted directly
3. Not susceptible to being subdued or halted on the field by one's opponents ; being unmanageable, unapproachable, or insoluble in non-athletic circumstances ; defying all efforts to tackle, control, or resolve

Etymology: English borrowed "tackle" from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German "takel," and for centuries it named the ropes, blocks and pulleys that worked a ship's sails, and later any gear for a job. The sense of seizing or grappling came afterward, as the idea of getting hold of something with equipment shifted to getting hold of a person by hand. The prefix "un-" negates and "-able" means able to be done, so this form describes something that cannot be brought under such a grip. Its modern use draws on the sporting sense of tackling, where a player who cannot be brought down is the one who cannot be tackled.

Synonyms: impossible, unmanageable, intractable, uncontrollable, insurmountable

Antonyms: manageable, tackleable, controllable, solvable, handleable