invulnerable
Americanadjective
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incapable of being wounded, hurt, or damaged.
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proof against or immune to attack.
A strong navy made Great Britain invulnerable.
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not open to denial or disproof.
an invulnerable argument.
adjective
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incapable of being wounded, hurt, damaged, etc, either physically or emotionally
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incapable of being damaged or captured
an invulnerable fortress
Other Word Forms
- invulnerability noun
- invulnerableness noun
- invulnerably adverb
Etymology
Origin of invulnerable
From the Latin word invulnerābilis, dating back to 1585–95. See in- 3, vulnerable
Explanation
Something that's invulnerable is impossible to damage or injure, like the strongest, most rock solid concrete fort reinforced with steel bars. Or Mother Theresa's reputation. From the Latin invulnerabilis, meaning “not wounding,” came the English invulnerable, an adjective meaning invincible or immune to attack. Some people look to vaccines to make them invulnerable. Others use body armor. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau, on the other hand, relied upon music: “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable."
Vocabulary lists containing invulnerable
Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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Ender's Game
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"Winter Dreams," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
“They wouldn’t be invulnerable, but air bases are also very hard to shut down.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
No one is completely invulnerable, but you are in a solid position.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 9, 2025
David Corenswet’s Clark Kent isn’t merely invulnerable; he’s also unyielding in his view that in an era defined by corporate cruelty, being nice is true punk rock.
From Salon • Oct. 2, 2025
No sooner has this block of exposition concluded than a cyberattack cripples every system in the U.S.A., including all the ones that had been thought invulnerable.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025
With time their love became more persistent and invulnerable, but it already had the depth and certainty that characterized it later on.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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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.