inexorable

[ in-ek-ser-uh-buhl ]

/ ɪnˈɛk sər ə bəl /

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adjective

unyielding; unalterable: inexorable truth; inexorable justice.

not to be persuaded, moved, or affected by prayers or entreaties: an inexorable creditor.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of inexorable

From the Latin word inexōrābilis, dating back to 1545–55. See in-³, exorable

SYNONYMS FOR inexorable

2. unbending; severe, relentless, unrelenting, implacable, merciless, cruel, pitiless. See inflexible.

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ANTONYMS FOR inexorable

2. flexible; merciful.

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Related formsin·ex·o·ra·bil·i·ty, in·ex·o·ra·ble·ness, nounin·ex·o·ra·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inexorably

Here is our Wes, golden child with his long curls spilling down the pillow, inexorably beautiful in death.
Inside a Home Funeral|Melissa Roberts Weidman|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the subsequent chapters the narrator is pulled, inexorably, to new depths of disillusionment and wretchedness.
American Nightmare: Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’ at 60|Nathaniel Rich|June 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This sense of design, mysteriously, inexorably, appears in unexpected places.
Must Read New Fiction: ‘Arcadia,’ ‘Men in Space,’ ‘The O’Briens,’ ‘Hot Pink’|Chloë Schama, Jacob Silverman, Wendy Smith, Daniel Roberts|March 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
To see racism as structural unfairness, by contrast, is to see race and public policy as inexorably intertwined.
Fix Affirmative Action Now|Peter Beinart|July 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST

But it is where the logic of the situation is inexorably leading.
The Only Hope for Mideast Peace|Eric Alterman|March 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She was always and finally glad that the door was inexorably sealed upon her secret.
In the Heart of a Fool|William Allen White
They had been dowering her with the grace of Helen, and now she stood before them inexorably bent on trying out.
Old Crow|Alice Brown
For at one time I had as certainly, as inexorably, doomed him as ever I took any resolution in my life.
The Uncollected Writings of Thomas de Quincey, Vol. 2|Thomas de Quincey
You could hold it on the tip of a knife; it is inexorably minute.
Woman|Magdeleine Marx
He replies monotonously, inexorably—“My accounts; I must settle my accounts!”
The English Stage|Augustin Filon

British Dictionary definitions for inexorably

inexorable

/ (ɪnˈɛksərəbəl) /

adjective

not able to be moved by entreaty or persuasion

relentless

Derived Formsinexorability or inexorableness, nouninexorably, adverb

Word Origin for inexorable

C16: from Latin inexōrābilis, from in- 1 + exōrābilis, from exōrāre to prevail upon, from ōrāre to pray

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

Word Origin and History for inexorably

inexorable

adj.

1550s, from Middle French inexorable and directly from Latin inexorabilis "that cannot be moved by entreaty," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + exorabilis "able to be entreated," from exorare "to prevail upon," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + orare "pray" (see orator). Related: Inexorably; inexorability.