immutable
Americanadjective
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not mutable; unchangeable; changeless.
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Computers. (in object-oriented programming) of or noting an object with a fixed structure and properties whose values cannot be changed.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immutable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin immūtābilis; see im- 2, mutable
Explanation
If you can't change it, it's immutable. There are many things in life that are immutable; these unchangeable things include death, taxes, and the laws of physics. The adjective immutable has Latin roots that mean "not changeable." The Latin prefix for not is in, but the spelling changes when the prefix is put before the consonant m. It is im before a root word starting with m as in immutable. If you learn this rule, you'll know the immutable fact that immutable begins with i-m-m.
Vocabulary lists containing immutable
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
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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.
Art can have immutable significance to us regardless of what its creators are alleged to have done; thus, the supposed absolution offered by the notion of separating the art from the artist.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
Those who rely on “settled science” as immutable fact should exercise humility and acknowledge that what is settled today may be unsettled tomorrow.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
This is an immutable characteristic of large language models.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
But that’s not the most important part, which is that this is a beautiful, solid, immutable printed book.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
My friend would then turn to me, quiet and pale, and would say, ‘No, sir; that is impossible: I cannot do it, because it is wrong;’ and would become immutable as a fixed star.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
