incurable

[in-kyoor-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not curable; that cannot be cured, remedied, or corrected.

   an incurable disease.

2. not susceptible to change.

   his incurable pessimism.

   Synonyms: relentless, incorrigible

noun

1. a person with an incurable disease.

incurable

/ ɪnˈkjʊərəbəl /

adjective

1. (esp of a disease) not curable; unresponsive to treatment

noun

1. a person having an incurable disease

Other Word Forms

• incurability noun
• incurableness noun
• incurably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of incurable¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin incūrābilis; in- ³, curable

Example Sentences

We both have Parkinson’s Disease, and he spent much of a recent 45-minute phone call pushing me to battle the incurable illness the way he once battled a certain backdoor slider.

From Los Angeles Times

A father with an incurable brain tumour has donated his tears to a pioneering study that could revolutionise how brain cancers are detected because he wants to "make a difference".

From BBC

She added: “To my beautiful Bellita: You are relentless and courageous. No child is suppose to suffer in their body with an incurable chronic disease.”

From Los Angeles Times

They include having a "serious and incurable illness", making a "voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure" and be in an "advanced state of irreversible decline in capability".

From BBC

It is incurable, but according to the NHS website, it does not usually affect life expectancy.

From BBC

Related Words

• deadly 
• fatal 
• hopeless 
• inoperable