From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunenviableun‧en‧vi‧a‧ble /ʌnˈenviəbəl/ adjective UNPLEASANTdifficult and unpleasantunenviable task/job etc (of doing something) the unenviable task of informing the victim’s relations Edward III was in a delicate and unenviable position.
Examples from the Corpus
unenviable• Policing this activity to ensure submission of the reports is an unenviable and thankless task.• Brown and Warne had an unenviable dilemma on their hands, even if they brought it on themselves.• Instead, he chose to stick with the old ways and practise an unenviable form of reverse racism.• The plight of the injured was an unenviable one; several of them could not be moved.• But Washington emerged from most of those exchanges with an unenviable plight.• The President is in an unenviable position.• A third of the way up a vicious-looking ice-climb were two men, slowly hacking an unenviable route with axes and crampons.• The Prague impresario Guardasoni was given the unenviable task of getting one together.• And we have a new secretary, Kirsty Rawlings, who has the unenviable task of organising me!• Lee had the unenviable task of reorganizing the department.unenviable task/job etc (of doing something)• And we have a new secretary, Kirsty Rawlings, who has the unenviable task of organising me!• Mr Sylvester went with her, glad to escape the inevitable recriminations, to leave Nutty to her unenviable job as captain.• Richard of Gloucester has a difficult task - an unenviable task, some might say.• The doctor and Chief Superintendent Coffin stood aside as the photographer moved in to start his unenviable task of recording the remains.• The Prague impresario Guardasoni was given the unenviable task of getting one together.• The residential staff are presented with an unenviable task.• They already have the unenviable task of supervising some of the most dangerous prisoners in the country.• This man has the unenviable task of telling hungry women and children queueing for food that they're waiting in vain. 