illimitable

American  

[ih-lim-i-tuh-buhl] / ɪˈlɪm ɪ tə bəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being limited; limitless; boundless.

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illimitable British  

/ ɪˈlɪmɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. limitless; boundless

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Other Word Forms

• illimitability
  noun
• illimitableness
  noun
• illimitably
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

Illimitable lizard, incommensurable newt, Interminable tadpole, inexsuperable brute!

From Time Magazine Archive

It is only Limitation which can secure the Illimitable.

From Natural Law in the Spiritual World by Drummond, Henry

Illimitable as the ocean, the weary waste stretched away until lost in the purple of the horizon, and the mirage created weird pictures in the landscape, distorted distances and objects which continually annoyed and deceived.

From The old Santa Fe trail The Story of a Great Highway by Buffalo Bill

There lay the Illimitable in narrow bound: Thence rose that triumph of a world redeemed!

From Legends of the Saxon Saints by De Vere, Aubrey

Illimitable dimensions are given, together with much detail of its many peculiarities.

From Windjammers and Sea Tramps by Runciman, Walter