German adjective for "without an alternative", "alternativlos" was chosen as the Un-word of the Year by the Unwort des Jahres panel at the end of 2010.
The word had been used frequently by German chancellor Angela Merkel over the past year, especially related to the Euro Crisis. Merkel had repeatedly described measures supported by her (and, by extension, the coalition government) as "alternativlos", thus presenting her policies as the only feasible, or even possible option.
The use of the word was heavily criticized. Many journalists saw it as an attempt to shut down debate about the subject at hand - a subject that at the time shook the entire European Union to its core in the most dramatic way. The term was considered to be undemocratic in the sense used by the chancellor, since it portrays any deliberation of alternatives to be unreasonable, or unnecessary.