untouchable
Americanadjective
-
that may not be touched; of a nature such that it cannot be touched; not palpable; intangible.
-
too distant to be touched.
-
vile or loathsome to the touch.
-
beyond criticism, control, or suspicion.
Modern writers consider no subject untouchable.
noun
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Hinduism. the former name given to a member of the lowest castes in India whose touch was believed to defile a high-caste Hindu.
-
a person who is beyond reproach as to honesty, diligence, etc.
-
a person disregarded or shunned by society or a particular group; social outcast.
political untouchables.
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a person or thing considered inviolable or beyond criticism.
such untouchables as Social Security in the federal budget.
adjective
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lying beyond reach
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above reproach, suspicion, or impeachment
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unable to be touched
noun
Usage
In relation to the caste system, the term untouchable is banned in both the Indian and Pakistani constitutions
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of untouchable
Vocabulary lists containing untouchable
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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.
See Examples For:
Most of the remaining squad could also be available at the right price, though a small group of players are considered untouchable.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
For nearly 70 years, Just Fontaine’s tally of 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup was considered untouchable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the decades since, that mark has become one of those sporting records that is considered not merely untouchable, but inconceivable in the modern game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mozeliak said he does not believe any player should be untouchable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
She hoped that this name she could hardly pronounce would protect me, make me untouchable.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
“There shouldn’t be some sort of untouchables list of people who are immune from enforcement.”
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
"Many in parliament think of themselves as untouchables, who think the ordinary rules do not apply to them," said Michiel van Hulten, director of the Brussels office of Transparency International.
From Reuters ● Dec. 20, 2022
The phrase "they have never let me down" will come back to haunt England and remember, as good as he has been for England, one of his untouchables Harry Kane did.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2022
In the end, history will remember Diana in broad strokes: a beautiful princess, a lonely marriage, a champion of the hurt and disenfranchised, a woman who touched the untouchables.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 20, 2022
But also they were outlaws, enemies, untouchables, doomed with absolute certainty to extinction within a year or two.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
