inextricable
Americanadjective
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from which one cannot extricate oneself.
an inextricable maze.
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incapable of being disentangled, undone, loosed, or solved.
an inextricable knot.
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hopelessly intricate, involved, or perplexing.
inextricable confusion.
adjective
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not able to be escaped from
an inextricable dilemma
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not able to be disentangled, etc
an inextricable knot
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extremely involved or intricate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inextricable
First recorded in 1375–1425; a late Middle English word, from the Latin word inextrīcābilis; see in- 3, extricable
Explanation
A chain that is very badly knotted and cannot be unraveled is inextricable. You cannot disentangle it. Inextricable comes from the Latin prefix in- meaning "not" and extricare meaning "unravel." Something that is inextricable cannot be unraveled. This isn't just limited to objects. Memories from childhood can sometimes be inextricable from other associations — so bound up that it is hard to separate one from the other.
Vocabulary lists containing inextricable
Grade 12, List 6
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"A Rose for Emily"
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Ender's Game
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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.
Despite all his "bad memories" he said he hopes to return one day to a country to which he now feels "inextricably tied."
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
Would being inextricably tied to Philippe not trap him in his hometown forever?
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2025
Whatever they do, they and all of us should recognize that our fate is inextricably tied with the fate of people like Roberson.
From Slate • Oct. 18, 2024
Her studies led her to reject the idea that beauty is inextricably tied to pain.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2024
The idea of discovery is inextricably tied up with ideas of exploration, progress, originality, authenticity and novelty.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
