incurable
Americanadjective
-
not curable; that cannot be cured, remedied, or corrected.
an incurable disease.
-
not susceptible to change.
his incurable pessimism.
- Synonyms:
- relentless, incorrigible
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- incurability noun
- incurableness noun
- incurably adverb
Etymology
Origin of incurable
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin incūrābilis; in- 3, curable
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.
The disease is inherited and currently incurable, with many children dying within a few years of diagnosis.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
Céline Dion has announced her return to the stage, four years after she was diagnosed with an incurable condition that affected her singing voice and her ability to walk.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
The debate centers around the idea of what constitutes a cure for multiple myeloma, the to-date incurable but increasingly treatable form of blood cancer I have.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
The opprobrium that ensued in the course of a shamelessly one-sided trial shredded their reputations, cost them their jobs and led to an incurable banishment from public life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Once evils are recognized ahead of time, they may be easily cured; but if you wait for them to come upon you, the medicine will be too late, because the disease will have become incurable.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
