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
Derived 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.
Inviolable sanctuary has been upheld even in hours of international conflict.
From Time Magazine Archive
That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship.
From Three Translations of The Koran (Al-Qur'an) side by side by Ali, Abdullah Yusuf
So let them not come near the Inviolable Place of Worship after this their year.
From Three Translations of The Koran (Al-Qur'an) side by side by Ali, Abdullah Yusuf
The true peace of the world will be a place of refuge much less like a beleaguered fortress and more, let us hope, in the nature of an Inviolable Temple.
From Notes on Life and Letters by Conrad, Joseph
Times indeed have changed since the "Inviolable Constitutions" laid it down that nullus omnino Alumnus in Collegio detineatur, cuius futura; Chris-tìanae pietatis significatio non extet.
From Old Calabria by Douglas, Norman
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.
