immovable

American  

[ih-moo-vuh-buhl] / ɪˈmu və bəl /

Or immoveable

adjective

1. incapable of being moved; fixed; stationary.

2. incapable of being influenced by feeling; emotionless.

   an immovable heart; an immovable tyrant.

3. incapable of being moved from one's purpose, opinion, etc.; steadfast; unyielding.

   Synonyms:

   adamant, unbending, inflexible, obdurate

4. not subject to change; unalterable.

5. not moving; motionless.

6. Law.

   1. not liable to be removed, or permanent in place.

   2. (of property) real, as distinguished from personal.

7. not changing from one date to another in different years.

   Christmas is an immovable feast.

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noun

1. something immovable.

2. Law. immovables, lands and the appurtenances thereof, as trees and buildings.

immovable British  

/ ɪˈmuːvəbəl /

adjective

1. unable to move or be moved; fixed; immobile

2. unable to be diverted from one's intentions; steadfast

3. unaffected by feeling; impassive

4. unchanging; unalterable

5. (of feasts, holidays, etc) occurring on the same date every year

6. law

   1. (of property) not liable to be removed; fixed

   2. of or relating to immoveables Compare movable

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• immovably
  adverb
• immovability
  noun
• immovableness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of immovable

1325–75; Middle English immevable, immovable; see im- ², movable

Explanation

Immovable things can't be budged. While you can move a bicycle or a grocery cart or a balloon, a cement park bench is immovable. Many things are immovable because they're made to be that way: a car is designed to be immovable when it's shifted into "park," or when the emergency brake is pulled. Other things are only occasionally immovable, like your stubborn dog who becomes immovable every time you try to take him for a walk in the rain, rooted adamantly in the doorway as you pull on his leash.

Example Sentences

And so he continues bursting his way through life as both an unstoppable force and an immovable object.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

“We are up against immovable deadlines,” Lowdon explains from preseason testing in Barcelona.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

So immovable is Ferguson that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries went to Annapolis this week to meet with him.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

If you’re headed to a wedding, funeral or some other immovable event, I wouldn’t book a budget airline — do everything in your power to get there on time.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

But the trailer was blocking the view of the house, and no one would buy a house where an immovable leaning trailer was parked out front.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• immobile
• immutable
• impassive
• inflexible
• motionless
• stationary
• steadfast
• uncompromising
• unshakable
• unyielding