incurable
Americanadjective
-
not curable; that cannot be cured, remedied, or corrected.
an incurable disease.
-
not susceptible to change.
his incurable pessimism.
- Synonyms:
- relentless, incorrigible
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of incurable
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin incūrābilis; see in- 3, curable
Explanation
Something incurable can't be fixed or healed. Incurable diseases can sometimes be lived with, but they can't be cured. An incurable crush on a movie star means there's no getting over it, and being diagnosed with an incurable illness is always bad news, because no medicine can eliminate it. Your friends might call you an incurable optimist — this means you always see the glass as half-full, and there's no changing your cheerful nature. Incurable combines the prefix in-, "not," and curable, from the Latin cura, "care or concern," and also "means of healing."
Vocabulary lists containing incurable
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owen
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Martian Chronicles
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The movie dramatized his experience at the Beth Abraham Home for the Incurables, a place in the Bronx that he renamed Mount Carmel in his account.
From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2015
A member of the Communist Party, Amerigo Ormea is assigned to be an election watcher at the Cottolengo Hospital for Incurables in Turin.
From Time Magazine Archive
Out of the '80s Discovered at the Home for Incurables in The Bronx was one of the great Victorian illustrators, 85-year-old Reginald Bathurst Birch, illustrator of Little Lord Fauntleroy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dolly, where's that collecting-box they sent us from the Hospital for Incurables?
From Dolly Reforming Herself A Comedy in Four Acts by Jones, Henry Arthur
In consequence of which, Paris now contains two receptacles for Incurables, in lieu of the one which formerly existed.
From Paris as It Was and as It Is by Blagdon, Francis W.
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.
