Too hard to control, handle, or keep in order. You use it when something has grown past the point where a normal amount of effort is enough — a class of forty children when you are one teacher, hair that will not stay flat, a pile of work that is now so big you cannot even start it, debt that has passed the point where paying a little each month helps. The feeling inside the word is not 'bad' but 'past my control': the thing has its own momentum now.

Too hard to control, handle, or keep in order太難控制、處理，或維持秩序. You use it when something has grown past the point where a normal amount of effort is enough當一件事已經發展到普通的努力不再夠用的地步時，你就會用這個詞 — a class of forty children when you are one teacher比如你一個老師要教四十個小孩的班級, hair that will not stay flat怎麼樣都服貼不下來的頭髮, a pile of work that is now so big you cannot even start it一堆大到你根本無從下手的工作, debt that has passed the point where paying a little each month helps已經超過每個月還一點點就有用那個階段的債務. The feeling inside the word is not 'bad' but 'past my control'這個詞裡面的感覺不是「糟糕」，而是「超出我能控制的範圍」: the thing has its own momentum now這件事現在有了自己的動能.

It is used of people too — an unmanageable child, an unmanageable crowd — and there it is a little bit gentler than 'badly behaved', because it says nothing about whether the person is at fault, only that whoever is in charge cannot cope. Note that it points at the controller as much as at the thing controlled: an unmanageable workload is unmanageable for someone. That is why people often soften it into a complaint about a situation rather than a person — 'the schedule has become unmanageable' is a way of saying 'I cannot do this' without saying I.

It is used of people too它也可以用在人身上 — an unmanageable child, an unmanageable crowd像an unmanageable child（難管教的孩子）、an unmanageable crowd（難控制的人群） — and there it is a little bit gentler than 'badly behaved'在這種情況下它比'badly behaved'（行為不良）語氣溫和一點, because it says nothing about whether the person is at fault因為它完全沒有說這個人有沒有錯, only that whoever is in charge cannot cope只是說負責的人應付不來. Note that it points at the controller as much as at the thing controlled要注意它指向管理者的程度，不亞於指向被管理的東西本身: an unmanageable workload is unmanageable for someonean unmanageable workload（難以負荷的工作量）是對某個人來說難以負荷. That is why people often soften it into a complaint about a situation rather than a person這也是為什麼大家常把它軟化成對情況、而不是對人的抱怨 — 'the schedule has become unmanageable' is a way of saying 'I cannot do this' without saying I'the schedule has become unmanageable'（行程已經變得難以掌控）是一種不必說「我做不到」、卻表達出同樣意思的方式.

It is a fairly plain, everyday word, common in work and news writing, and slightly formal in speech; in casual conversation people are more likely to say 'out of control' or 'too much'.

It is a fairly plain, everyday word它是一個相當平實的日常用詞, common in work and news writing常見於職場和新聞寫作, and slightly formal in speech在口語裡稍微正式一點; in casual conversation people are more likely to say 'out of control' or 'too much'在輕鬆的對話裡，大家更可能說'out of control'（失控）或'too much'（太誇張了）.