inextricably
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of inextricably
First recorded in 1590–1600; inextricab(le) ( def. ) + -ly
Explanation
Inextricably is an adverb that means in a manner that is impossible to unravel or separate from something else. It usually modifies words like "linked" and "tied." To most Americans, Thanksgiving and turkey are inextricably linked. Inextricably is the adverb form of the adjective inextricable, which comes from the Latin word inextricabilis, meaning "cannot be disentangled." In your mind, summer and the beach are inextricably tied together because you've spent your vacation at the shore for as long as you can remember. Circumstances might inextricably link you and your neighbor when you're trapped in an elevator together for the longest nine hours of your life.
Vocabulary lists containing inextricably
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Hidden Figures
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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.
Those two things may be symbiotically and inextricably linked.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Today self-defense has become inextricably linked with the Second Amendment.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
But both sides recognize that their financial success is inextricably linked, says Mike Bellisario, a senior-research analyst at investment bank Baird.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
You can make a plan to streamline the business so that any buyer is getting a system, not a brand inextricably linked with its owner.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
The stones were indeed scattered, and mixed inextricably with those of other workers: but when we had collected what we reckoned to be our pile no one raised any objections.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
