inalienable

[ in-eyl-yuh-nuh-buhl, -ey-lee-uh- ]
See synonyms for inalienable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied; not alienable: inalienable rights, freedoms, and liberties; an inalienable territory; inalienable principles and values.

Origin of inalienable

1
First recorded in 1610–20; in-3 + alienable

word story For inalienable

Other words for inalienable

Other words from inalienable

  • in·al·ien·a·bil·i·ty, in·al·ien·a·ble·ness, noun
  • in·al·ien·a·bly, adverb

Words Nearby inalienable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inalienable in a sentence

  • We would exercise our right to go anywhere at any time, as inalienable in the modern world as the right to freedom of speech.

    Ciao, Roma! Hello, Newark! | James Atlas | January 6, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Tehran repeatedly points out that peaceful nuclear work is an “inalienable right” in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    The Deal to Disarm Iran | Michael Adler | October 17, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • God could not endow him with sinlessness, which is an inalienable portion of Divine perfection.

  • Poetry, painting, and the subtle joys of imagination have inalienable rights over a lofty spirit.

  • Why should they use the powers that were their inalienable birthright to make true believers obey a Christian dog?

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • The Constitution and its guarantees are our birthright, and I am ready to enforce that inalienable right to the last extent.

  • We have just been declaring to the world that all men are born with an inalienable right to liberty.

    The Minister's Wooing | Harriet Beecher Stowe

British Dictionary definitions for inalienable

inalienable

/ (ɪnˈeɪljənəbəl) /


adjective
  1. not able to be transferred to another; not alienable: the inalienable rights of the citizen

Derived forms of inalienable

  • inalienability or inalienableness, noun
  • inalienably, adverb

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