inexorable
Americanadjective
-
inexorable truth;
inexorable justice.
-
not to be persuaded, moved, or affected by prayers or entreaties.
an inexorable creditor.
- Synonyms:
- pitiless, cruel, merciless, implacable, unrelenting, unbending
adjective
-
not able to be moved by entreaty or persuasion
-
relentless
Synonym Usage
See inflexible.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inexorable
From the Latin word inexōrābilis, dating back to 1545–55. See in- 3, exorable
Explanation
When a person is inexorable, they're stubborn. When a thing or process is inexorable, it can't be stopped. This is a word for people and things that will not change direction. An inexorable person is hard-headed and cannot be convinced to change their mind, no matter what. You can also say that a process, like the progress of a deadly illness, is inexorable because it can't be stopped. A speeding train with no brakes is inexorable; it's not stopping till it crashes. When you see the word inexorable, think "No one's stopping that."
Vocabulary lists containing inexorable
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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.
M&A volume has been on an inexorable march upward for a number of years, with the only major exception coming in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
It usually didn’t matter anyway, because there was no effective treatment to slow down Alzheimer’s inexorable and destructive path.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
The themes that animated several of Ms. Straub’s previous novels—the inexorable march of time, complicated family dynamics, the power of reinvention—are what give “American Fantasy” its emotional heft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
“They get excited not by the possibility of an instant gain but by the inexorable math of compounding capital over the long run,” said Klarman.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025
Hence they must have inexorable explanations, ones more basic than mere details concerning who happened to win some battle or develop some invention on one occasion a few thousand years ago.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
