inviolable
Americanadjective
-
prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement, or desecration.
an inviolable sanctuary;
an inviolable promise.
-
incapable of being violated; impregnable; unassailable.
inviolable secrecy.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inviolable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin inviolābilis; see in- 3, violable
Explanation
Wedding vows and vault combinations that can’t be broken are considered inviolable. (Of course, divorce lawyers and bank robbers consider this a challenge.) The word can refer to a physical structure (a fortress, for instance) or something more conceptual (human rights or morals, perhaps). Inviolable has changed little from its Latin origin of inviolabilis, which combines the prefix in- (meaning "not") with the verb violare ("to violate"). Inviolable turns up in religious settings too, usually in reference to texts or rites. In that context, it means "sacred." No surprise: the antonym of inviolable is violable ("accessible or penetrable").
Vocabulary lists containing inviolable
Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Grendel
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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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.
Under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, consular premises are considered "inviolable".
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The “international community” treats that project as inviolable, inevitable, untouchable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
“They are turning on him, and it’s a sign of the inviolable trust being gone,” Madrid said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025
Charter of 1945, guaranteeing all nations the right to independence and inviolable sovereignty.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2025
This was my view, and I saw nonviolence in the Gandhian model not as an inviolable principle but as a tactic to be used as the situation demanded.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
