implacable
Americanadjective
adjective
-
incapable of being placated or pacified; unappeasable
-
inflexible; intractable
Synonym Usage
See inflexible.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of implacable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word implācābilis. See im- 2, placable
Explanation
An implacable person just can’t be appeased. If you really offended your best friend and tried every kind of apology but she refused to speak to you again, you could describe her as implacable. Implacable is derived from the verb to placate, which means to soothe, or to appease. If you’re babysitting and the kid starts screaming the moment that his parents leave the house, and nothing you give him, be it a toy or ice cream, can calm him down, he might seem implacable. But try the TV. It tends to turn screaming kids into silent, happy zombies.
Vocabulary lists containing implacable
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Grade 11, 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.
As I have written before, Hoover Dam made today’s West, but also strapped it into the straitjacket of an implacable water shortage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Described in the French press as a headstrong woman who is generous to friends but implacable to her enemies, Garcia says the case against her is circumstantial.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Supreme Court historically used Asian Americans’ supposedly implacable foreignness to justify greater, institutionally enforced apartness.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
If she’s not in cahoots with the unnervingly blasé doctor, she’s at least in agreement with the implacable timetable he’s laid out.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
It seemed to emerge out of the stillness of an implacable force brooding on an inscrutable intention.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
