immovable

American  

[ih-moo-vuh-buhl] / ɪˈmu və bəl /

Or immoveable

adjective

1. incapable of being moved; fixed; stationary.

2. incapable of being influenced by feeling; emotionless.

   an immovable heart; an immovable tyrant.

3. incapable of being moved from one's purpose, opinion, etc.; steadfast; unyielding.

   Synonyms:

   adamant, unbending, inflexible, obdurate

4. not subject to change; unalterable.

5. not moving; motionless.

6. Law.

   1. not liable to be removed, or permanent in place.

   2. (of property) real, as distinguished from personal.

7. not changing from one date to another in different years.

   Christmas is an immovable feast.

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noun

1. something immovable.

2. Law. immovables, lands and the appurtenances thereof, as trees and buildings.

immovable British  

/ ɪˈmuːvəbəl /

adjective

1. unable to move or be moved; fixed; immobile

2. unable to be diverted from one's intentions; steadfast

3. unaffected by feeling; impassive

4. unchanging; unalterable

5. (of feasts, holidays, etc) occurring on the same date every year

6. law

   1. (of property) not liable to be removed; fixed

   2. of or relating to immoveables Compare movable

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Other Word Forms

• immovability noun
• immovableness noun
• immovably adverb

Etymology

Origin of immovable

1325–75; Middle English immevable, immovable; im- ², movable

Explanation

Immovable things can't be budged. While you can move a bicycle or a grocery cart or a balloon, a cement park bench is immovable. Many things are immovable because they're made to be that way: a car is designed to be immovable when it's shifted into "park," or when the emergency brake is pulled. Other things are only occasionally immovable, like your stubborn dog who becomes immovable every time you try to take him for a walk in the rain, rooted adamantly in the doorway as you pull on his leash.

Example Sentences

“We are up against immovable deadlines,” Lowdon explains from preseason testing in Barcelona.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

“The most dramatic version of this show was if an unstoppable force meets an immovable object and there’s an equality in what they do,” adds Finn, 30.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

So immovable is Ferguson that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries went to Annapolis this week to meet with him.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

Knowing that money doesn’t equal value, and that families can be frustratingly immovable, doesn’t lessen the tension that might arise when the question “Who should pay for dinner?” is posed.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026

The ropes tightened; the steeds labored; Taran heaved and tugged at the immovable cauldron.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• immobile
• immutable
• impassive
• inflexible
• motionless
• stationary
• steadfast
• uncompromising
• unshakable
• unyielding