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Showing results for immobile. Search instead for immobilely.
Synonyms

immobile

American  
[ih-moh-buhl, -beel] / ɪˈmoʊ bəl, -bil /

adjective

  1. incapable of moving or being moved.

  2. not mobile or moving; motionless.


immobile British  
/ ɪˈməʊbaɪl /

adjective

  1. not moving; motionless

  2. not able to move or be moved; fixed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing immobile

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.

See Examples For:

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

But when the lab became almost immobile because of pain in her legs, she gave it a shot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026

Some were slumped getting sleep on their immobile vehicle.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

Once, at dinner, seated at the table, 03-01 asked me what I had noted in my hours spent immobile.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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