immobile
Americanadjective
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incapable of moving or being moved.
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not mobile or moving; motionless.
adjective
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not moving; motionless
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not able to move or be moved; fixed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immobile
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word immōbilis. See im- 2, mobile
Explanation
Something immobile can't move or be moved — it's locked or stuck in place. If you know that mobile things move around, then you're halfway to understanding what immobile means: this refers to anything that can't move. A mountain is immobile; no one's moving that. Sometimes people who are very large — like offensive lineman — are described as immobile, because they are big and hard to move. When something is immobile, it's not going anywhere.
Vocabulary lists containing immobile
ACT Vocabulary List
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Death of a Salesman
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots 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.
The 45-year-old Memphis resident was diagnosed in 2005 with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder that left her nearly immobile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Using a range of analytical techniques, the Heidelberg team has now shown how the mobile and nearly immobile impurity models can be unified within a single theoretical framework.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Statues in L.A. are not as immobile as you’d think.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
"Haven't stood on my feet in over a week... been in a hospital bed immobile since my race," she said in a social media post.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
Will suddenly realised that his tradition-minded family had been standing, patiendy immobile, waiting for five minutes while he read his letter.
From "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper
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.
