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
-
untouchables
plural
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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.
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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
-
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:
First came his development into an untouchable time-trial specialist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
At the lower levels of the minors, Tugboat was practically untouchable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
Mozeliak said he does not believe any player should be untouchable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
There was something frigidly beautiful about him, something untouched and untouchable.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
“There shouldn’t be some sort of untouchables list of people who are immune from enforcement.”
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
By the end of the regular season he had moved from luxury to necessity, ballooning into the conversation as one of the Lakers Big Three untouchables.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2025
They belong to the Dalit community, formerly known as untouchables, on the lowest rungs of the Hindu caste system, but Sunar said the family faced no ill-treatment over this.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 2022
The young woman and her family are Dalits - men and women formerly known as "untouchables" who languish at the bottom of India's harsh caste hierarchy.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2021
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.
