untouchable

1 of 2

adjective

un·​touch·​able ˌən-ˈtə-chə-bəl 

1

a

: forbidden to the touch : not to be handled

b

: exempt from criticism or control

2

: lying beyond reach

3

: disagreeable or defiling to the touch

untouchable

2 of 2

noun

plural untouchables

: someone or something that is untouchable

… so Frey moved Keith Moreland from right-field to third base and benched Ron Cey temporarily, while Green threatened to trade heretofore untouchables.

—Peter Gammons

specifically, dated, offensive : a member of the lowest class in the traditional Hindu social hierarchy having in traditional Hindu belief the quality of defiling by contact a member of a higher caste : dalit

Synonyms

Adjective

• inaccessible
• inapproachable
• inconvenient
• unapproachable
• unattainable
• unavailable
• unobtainable
• unreachable

Examples of untouchable in a Sentence

Adjective

The mayor believed that he was untouchable and not subject to the same laws as the rest of us.

The team's record was untouchable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Raziq was untouchable, thanks to the ironclad support of the United States and its NATO allies. —Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024

Jupiter may be untouchable by solar winds, but the Jovian system—Jupiter and its moons— generates its own energetic particles. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1909, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

untouchable

1 of 2 adjective

un·​touch·​able ˌən-ˈtəch-ə-bəl 

ˈən-

1

a

: not to be touched or handled

b

: not to be criticized or controlled

2

: lying beyond the reach

untouchable

2 of 2 noun

: one that is untouchable

especially : a member of the lowest social class in India