Unplayable

Describing something that cannot be played or used in a game, sport, or other activity due to some inherent flaw, circumstance, or external factor. This could include a ball that is out of bounds, a card with a rule prohibiting its use, a course condition making a shot impossible, or a musical passage that is technically infeasible. The term implies a complete inability to proceed in a functional or permitted way, leading to a halt or a modified action.

Unplayable meaning with examples

• The mud-caked baseball became completely unplayable after the heavy rain. No grip was possible, and the game was temporarily suspended. Even after drying out, it was quickly ruled unplayable because its shape was altered by the mud, preventing accurate throws or hits. The umpire then changed it out to resume the game.
• In a game of solitaire, if a specific card needed to progress is buried, the player's hand becomes unplayable. There is no way to advance the game, so the current play is automatically stopped. This outcome would require either a reshuffle or a concession to lose that round, so the player can reset and play again.
• The treacherous ice on the hockey rink rendered the puck unplayable. Players couldn't control their skating, so a quick announcement closed the game down. Despite efforts to resurface the ice, the unsafe conditions meant the game was stopped entirely, and the players left.
• The complex arpeggios in the composer's new sonata were deemed unplayable by the pianist. The tempo was too fast, making the notes physically impossible to execute. The sheet music was set aside for study and simplification as it would require more development and training than available.