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
- inviolability noun
- inviolably adverb
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
“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
Later Spanish theologians, such as Francisco de Vitoria and Bartolomé de las Casas, used innate reason to defend the inviolable humanity of Native Americans.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
With that selflessness at the core of public service, he wrote: “I have thence enjoyed of manifesting my inviolable attachment by services faithful and persevering, though in usefulness unequal to my zeal.”
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024
The fact is that despite their dreams, their lives are also not inviolable.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
