inviolability

Rarely in·vi·o·la·ble·ness

[in-vahy-uh-luh-bil-i-tee]

noun

1. the fact or quality of being safe or protected from attack, infringement, destruction, or interference.

   The inviolability of diplomatic agents is one of the long and well-recognized rules of international law.

   We will continue to take efficient measures to ensure the independence and inviolability of the courts.

2. the fact or quality of being held in reverence as something that must never be violated; sacredness.

   Our constitutional structure was built upon respect for the integrity and inviolability of the individual conscience.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inviolability¹

inviol(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

Example Sentences

Any member of the public, including anti-China protestors, could walk into the area - but the police could not enter, as the land would be Chinese territory with "diplomatic inviolability".

From BBC

At the time, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for a full investigation into the incident, while a spokesperson said: "The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability."

From BBC

Article 2 said the sides "respect each other's territorial integrity and confirm the inviolability of existing borders between them".

From BBC

The principle of the inviolability of borders "applies to every country... no matter whether it's a very small one or a very powerful one," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the EU would not let other nations "attack its sovereign borders".

From BBC

Charter, as emboldened adversaries worldwide see that the linchpins of the entire system of modern global politics—the preemptory norm of sovereignty equality and the inviolability of borders—are no longer constraints worth heeding.

From Slate