immutable

adjective

im·mu·ta·ble (ˌ)i(m)-ˈmyü-tə-bəl

Synonyms of immutable next

: not capable of or susceptible to change

immutability

(ˌ)i(m)-ˌmyü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

noun

immutableness

(ˌ)i(m)-ˈmyü-tə-bəl-nəs

noun

immutably

(ˌ)i(m)-ˈmyü-tə-blē

adverb

Did you know?

Immutable may describe something that is incapable of change, but the word itself—like all words—is mutable, both capable of and prone to alteration. To put a finer point on it, if language were fixed, we wouldn’t have immutable itself, which required a variety of mutations of the Latin verb mutare (“to change”) to reach our tongues (or pens, keyboards, or touchscreens—oh the many permutations of communication!). Other English words that can be traced back to mutare include mutate, transmute, and commute. Which reminds us—the mutability of language makes great food for thought during one’s commute.

Examples of immutable in a Sentence

the immutable laws of nature one of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation

Recent Examples on the Web Introduction The sun looks immutable, a boring celestial lightbulb that’s always turned on. —

Javier Barbuzano, Quanta Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023 Those were immutable elements outside of anyone’s control. —

Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023 Well, that’s unfortunate, because Florida’s new biology classes exclusively teach two immutable facts: that there are only two genders, and that some races are predisposed to being superior to others. —

Skyler Higley, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2023 This immutable supply cannot be manipulated, and unlike fiat currencies, Bitcoins cannot be arbitrarily generated by governments or central banks. —

The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023 But even after this decision, many public universities will continue to bestow preferential admissions treatment based on a different type of immutable trait. —

Thomas A. Berry, National Review, 11 July 2023 Blockchains track debits and credits to accounts on a ledger, just like an ordinary accounting system, but in a real-time, transparent, and immutable fashion (once transfers are settled). —

Nic Carter, Fortune Crypto, 23 July 2023 If, however, your attic, basement, closet, shed, crawl space or storage unit is full of unwanted portraits as immutable as the day they were painted, read on. —

John Kelly, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023 By creating an immutable record of transactions, blockchain could ensure that artists receive fair compensation for their work while mitigating disputes and eliminating intermediaries. —

Elan Jacoby, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'immutable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.