indelible
Americanadjective
-
making marks that cannot be erased, removed, or washed out.
indelible ink.
-
impossible to eliminate, forget, or change.
the indelible memories of war;
the indelible influence of a great teacher.
adjective
-
incapable of being erased or obliterated
-
making indelible marks
indelible ink
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indelible
First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin indēlibilis; replacing indeleble, from Latin indēlēbilis “indestructible”; see in- 3, dele, -ble
Explanation
If something is indelible, you better hope you never regret it, like the indelible tattoo of the name of your favorite band or the indelible first impression it might give people you meet years from now, especially if your taste in music changes. The adjective indelible describes something that can't be erased or removed, like marks made by an indelible marker, or an indelible moment you will never forget, like your first day of kindergarten or the first time you visit a new, exotic place. It comes from the Latin word indelebilis, meaning "not able to be destroyed."
Vocabulary lists containing indelible
Just Mercy
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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A Long Way Gone
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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.
That’s not even the craziest thing that happened in cycling’s indelible three-week race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
Greenspan’s tenure, which ended in 2006, lasted around 18-and-a-half years, but his mark on the U.S. economy was indelible.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
L.A. was where he had come of age, and it remained an indelible part of his life and psyche — not least in terms of its egalitarian spirit and its tendency toward the horizontal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
On Jan. 6, 2021, Larry Rendall Brock Jr. marched on the Capitol and became one of the riot’s most indelible figures.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Even so, the mark of Nazi genetics remained, like an indelible scar.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
