inviolable

adjective

in·​vi·​o·​la·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈvī-ə-lə-bəl 

1

: secure from violation or profanation

an inviolable law

2

: secure from assault or trespass : unassailable

inviolable borders

inviolability

(ˌ)in-ˌvī-ə-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

inviolableness

(ˌ)in-ˈvī-ə-lə-bəl-nəs 

noun

inviolably

(ˌ)in-ˈvī-ə-lə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

Inviolable is a venerable word that has been with us since the 15th century. Its opposite, violable ("capable of being or likely to be violated"), appeared in the following century. The 17th century English playwright Shackerley Marmion made good use of violable in A Fine Companion, writing, "Alas, my heart is Tender and violable with the least weapon Sorrow can dart at me." But English speakers have never warmed up to that word the way we have to inviolable, and it continues to be used much less frequently. Both terms descend from the Latin verb violare, which both shares the meaning with, and is an ancestor of, the English word violate.

Synonyms

• hallowed
• holy
• sacred
• sacrosanct
• unassailable
• untouchable

Examples of inviolable in a Sentence

a person with inviolable moral standards

an inviolable trust between lawyer and client

Recent Examples on the Web

Until this Congress, it was considered an inviolable edict that lawmakers never voted against a rule advanced by their party on the House floor — much less in committee. —Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024

For fans of the 2004 film, which for many is a perfect, inviolable, almost sacrosanct thing, this means that this will be, every once in a while, redundant. —Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024

Pakistan will continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the safety and security of its people which is sacrosanct, inviolable and sacred. —Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 18 Jan. 2024

What cues will America’s adversaries take if an Iranian satrap is allowed to establish an inviolable sphere of influence off Yemen’s coasts? —The Editors, National Review, 20 Dec. 2023

The more things change, the more things stay the same, appeared to be the proposition of two Wall Street insiders on the current entertainment landscape and the inviolable position of sports within it. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Oct. 2023

Legal rights once thought to be inviolable suddenly appear vulnerable. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023

The same kind of dangerous myth-making about legal norms that made Roe v. Wade seem inviolable is what got us here, and what further enables the right’s all-out, deeply unpopular assault on our rights. —Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023

Agriculture’s claim to the Colorado is inviolable, if only because the irrigated fields of the basin provide so much of our food. —Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin inviolabilis, from in- + violare to violate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

inviolable

adjective

in·​vi·​o·​la·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈvī-ə-lə-bəl 

1

: too sacred to be violated

an inviolable oath

2

: incapable of being harmed or destroyed by violence

an inviolable fortress

inviolability

(ˌ)in-ˌvī-ə-lə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

inviolably

(ˈ)in-ˈvī-ə-lə-blē 

adverb