imperturbable

American  

[im-per-tur-buh-buhl] / ˌɪm pərˈtɜr bə bəl /

adjective

1. incapable of being upset or agitated; not easily excited; calm.

   imperturbable composure.

   Synonyms:

   unmoved, cool, impassive, collected, composed

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imperturbable British  

/ ˌɪmpɜːˈtɜːbəbəl, ˌɪmpɜːtɜːˈbeɪʃən /

adjective

1. not easily perturbed; calm; unruffled

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Other Word Forms

• imperturbability noun
• imperturbableness noun
• imperturbably adverb
• imperturbation noun

Etymology

Origin of imperturbable

1490–1500; < Late Latin imperturbābilis. See im- ², perturbable ( def. )

Explanation

If you're imperturbable you are not easily upset. If your goal is to be imperturbable, then you can't let things bother you or get you stressed, confused, or angry. The adjective imperturbable is the flip side of perturbable, which comes from perturb, which in turn traces back to the Latin word perturbare, meaning “to confuse” or “to disturb.” If something really annoying is going on, like one neighbor is jack-hammering his driveway and another has a dog that's barking while you're trying to sleep because you were up all night studying and you really really need a nap, but you stay calm and don’t get upset, you are imperturbable.

Example Sentences

It relies on imperturbable singing actors, Molly Irelan’s fanciful costumes and Soper’s wildly variegated score create an exultant excess of weirdness.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023

Like Andriessen, Crumb, too, had an imperturbable sway on young composers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2022

When they do, Mr. Ebeke said, he merely looks at them, says, “God is just” in his imperturbable voice and moves on down the deck.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2022

My friend’s mom notably wrangled our gang of overnighting 20-somethings with the imperturbable grace of a seasoned host.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2021

But the moonlight stays unmoved by the wind, passing through clouds, through air, in what seems to Werner like impossibly slow, imperturbable rays.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr