illimitable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of illimitable
First recorded in 1590–1600; il- 2 + limitable ( def. )
Explanation
Use illimitable to describe something that has no limits, like the universe, or your little brother's capacity for annoying you. Illimitable is a rare word — and a rather fancy one. It's more common to say something's limitless or measureless, but illimitable is good if you want to sound literary or formal, say if you're talking about the "illimitable power of human endeavor." If you use illimitable to describe something like your appetite for candy, it will sound kind of funny, which is perfectly fine as long as you're going for a laugh.
Vocabulary lists containing illimitable
"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Stories of Ourselves
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And just beyond the Philippines are China’s illimitable markets.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
His narcissism, his megalomania, his delicate yet illimitable ego, would have it no other way.
From Washington Post • Nov. 15, 2022
In the last, looming line, “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.”
From Slate • Aug. 2, 2021
Inspired by St. Theresa of Ávila, Dorothea sought “some illimitable satisfaction” in the provincial world of 19th-century England; Mrs. Lee, too, is anxious to find unleavened goodness in the drawing rooms of Washington.
From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2018
Beyond them was nothing but a huge illimitable dark.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
