Definition of IMMUTABLENESS

Did You Know?

Immutable comes to us through Middle English from Latin immutabilis, meaning "unable to change." "Immutabilis" was formed by combining the negative prefix in- with "mutabilis," which comes from the Latin verb mutare and means "to change." Some other English words that can be traced back to "mutare" are "commute" (the earliest sense of which is simply "to change or alter"), "mutate" ("to undergo significant and basic alteration"), "permute" ("to change the order or arrangement of"), and "transmute" ("to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature"). There's also the antonym of "immutable" - "mutable" - which of course can mean "prone to change" and "capable of change or of being changed."

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 In the past, the medical board has rejected adding conditions, claiming that new conditions are immutable -- or not reversible if new science shows cannabis is harmful for the condition. — Evan Macdonald, cleveland, "While you were sheltering: Sherwin-Williams HQ, ‘Picasso and Paper,’ gun reform and more news you might have missed during the coronavirus crisis," 21 May 2020 To make the files even more persistent, Triada gives them an immutable attribute, which prevents deleting, even by superusers. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "The secret behind “unkillable” Android backdoor called xHelper has been revealed," 16 Apr. 2020 That comes with a splash of defensiveness — the desire to protect this unavoidable, immutable and generally unselfconscious presentation that signals a whole way of life. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, "How Does a New Yawker Tawk?," 11 Apr. 2020 Activists insist that identity is immutable and unquestionable. — Madeleine Kearns, National Review, "What Is ‘Conversion Therapy’?," 11 Mar. 2020 The course of our lives follows ancient and immutable laws, with an ancient, changeless rhythm. — Maggie Nelson, The New Yorker, "The New Calm," 6 Apr. 2020 The salient thing to remember here is that the $1,000 checks gaining support on Capitol Hill at the moment would be an extraordinary response to an extraordinary circumstance, rather than a new, immutable monthly entitlement. — John Mccormack, National Review, "No, We Are Not All Andrew Yang Now," 18 Mar. 2020 From our vantage point, the skies can seem predictable and immutable. — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, "Earth Has Had a Secret Second Moon for Months Now," 27 Feb. 2020 But though style is immutable, its influence can certainly get quieter. — Faran Krentcil, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ok, Fashion. What Happens Now in the Coronavirus Pandemic?," 27 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immutable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.