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 Civilizations as entities defined by stubborn cultural elements differed from civilizations defined by immutable racial characteristics—but the two were close enough to be kin themselves. —

Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2023 This idea that your attachment style is fixed and immutable, says Sequeira, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy which dooms relationships to stasis and failure. —

Vicky Spratt, refinery29.com, 17 Oct. 2023 Since blockchain data are immutable, the information a consumer gets from scanning a QR code on a label of a coffee bag should provide a clear chain of provenance. —

Spencer M. Ross, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2023 These relationships reflect immutable truths about computation that go far beyond any specific technology. —

Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023 Crypto transfers on Venmo will be irreversible, just like crypto transactions more broadly—a function of cryptocurrency’s use of blockchains, or immutable public ledgers. —

Ben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 28 Apr. 2023 For years, live sports and news have been the cornerstone of the immutable cable bundle. —

Oliver Darcy, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023 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 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.