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; in- 3, violable
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.
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
Charter of 1945, guaranteeing all nations the right to independence and inviolable sovereignty.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2025
The Ministry of Justice insisted that the right to life, enshrined in the constitution of 2011, was inviolable.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024
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
And yet the Declaration also said that “property is an inviolable and sacred right.”
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
